Independence Day

 

11/11/2023

 

So far as I know it has never been established for certain that "My Buddy" was about a fellow Dougboy who didn't make it home -- so far as I can tell neither Gus Kahn (lyricist) nor Walter Donaldson (music) served overseas, if at all, but that is the general assumption.

Lyricist Yip Harburg and composer Jay Gorney did serve in WW the First. Harburg was a commie, but what are ya gonna do?

And for Pete's sake, if you see Mike Royko don't tell him I worked in VeteransDay. 

Memorial Day II

 

Law and Liberty on Memorial Day: Remembering the American Character at War

Memorial Day

Whose Bright Idea Was This?!

So the weather has finally broken enough I can get out and put in a good 10000 steps.

On the homeward leg, I stopped at the local grocery store -- where I learned that for some reason grocery store workers don't seem to have priority for vaccines -- to pick up a couple things, cheap enough I paid cash.

When I got home I looked at my change and discovered that the 2020 Commemorative Quarter recognizes American Samoa National Park.

Yeah, I'd never heard of it, either but that's not the point.

National Park of American Samoa Quarter

Background

National Park of American Samoa is located some 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii and is one of the most remote in the U.S. National Park System. The site includes sections of three islands—Tutuila, Ta’ū, and Ofu. Almost all of the land area of these volcanic islands—from the mountaintops to the coast—is tropical rainforest. The park’s area totals 13,500 acres, 4,000 of which are underwater.

That's still not the point. 

This is the point:

That's right, for 2020, #YearOfTheBlackSwan, #YearOfTheFruitBat, the Year of the Wuhan Flu, the CCPVirus, the year the world learned that some people eat bat soup, rare...

...The US Mint decided to commemorate the home of the Samoan Fruit Bat with a 25¢ piece.

Mind you, the decision was make well before 2020, but, still.

Meanwhile, I had to see this ad three or four times before I realized it was an ad for a mating dating service, not a trailer for a Marvel Supervillain movie. 

I have to say, it surprises me not at all that 2020 would best be summed up by an ad for a dating app. 

Kenosha

 

Seen at Joe's Place.

Not gonna lie, I am happy that the young man survived, and it sounds like the choir boys he took down deserved it and will only be missed by those with twisted taste in friends or causes, but that doesn't mean I am celebrating. 

Joe's got other links, too, including a statement by the lawyer representing the young shooter. 

You know, if even the New York Times admits that the video of events shows that these were legit self-defense shootings, you gotta wonder why he was so heavily charged... well, no, actually, it doesn't. 

Joe has something for that, too. 

Meanwhile, in comments to this post at Old NFO's blog...

...Not to mention some co-workers who should know better...

Not illegal for a 17 year old to "possess" an AR15 in either WI or IL. 

And if his mom drove him to Kenosha, it was for his job as a lifeguard. He stuck around when he got off duty to help clean up graffiti. He only geared up later when things started to get sporty again -- and gave one or two interviews, in which he emphasized his trauma kit over the rifle. 

LawDog also has a few thoughts, here, and shares another video here. 

UPDATE: The original video was banned by YouTube for terms of service violation,

Here's another one:

Statement of General John Kelley to the press

Long, but worth watching.

YouTube synopsis:LIVE ON-AIR NEWS

Published on Oct 19, 2017

White House chief of staff John Kelly lashed out at Rep Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) on Thursday, saying he was "stunned" by her negative description of President Trump's call to the wife of a U.S. soldier “I was stunned when I came to work yesterday morning,” he told reporters during an impromptu appearance at the White House press briefing, adding he was “broken hearted” over the negative publicity surrounding the call. Wilson revealed that Trump told the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson her husband “knew what he was getting into.” “I would have thought that was sacred," Kelly said of Trump's conversation with Myeshia Johnson. Wilson was present for the call. Wilson’s statements “eroded [it] a great deal," said Kelly, a retired general who lost a son. "He asked me about previous presidents and I said I could tell you that President Obama — who was my commander in chief when I was on active duty — did not call my family,” he stated. “That was not a criticism. That was just to simply say I don’t believe President Obama called. That’s not a negative thing. I don’t believe President Bush called in all cases. I don’t believe any president particularly when the casualty rates are very, very high that presidents call. I believe they all write.” He then explained that after he told that to Trump three days ago, the president decided to make phone calls to the families of the four earlier this month. Kelly also noted that the president asked him how to make those calls.

TriggrCon, Media/Industry day.

When we last we saw our intrepid blogger, he was stuck in traffic, heading home from Triggrcon Range Day.

In case you hadn't heard, the Seattle-Tacoma area has nasty traffic these days. Besides, all that free ammo can really take it out of a guy, you feel an obligation to not let it go to waste.

So, first things first: Today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday July 29th and 30th, TriggrCon is open to the public for "Enthusiast Days." Go to the website to register, for free.

Up front, I did confirm that the last pistol caliber carbine and sub machine gun I fired at Range Day was by Battle Arms Development, and made that correction in my previous post.

The show itself is being held at the Greater Tacoma Conference Center.

Which bans guns and knives on site, and has security pawing through your bags and checking you with a hand wand.

It was hardly a TSA-level search, and I suspect I could have gotten a pocket pistol in, in my bag, but it's still annoying that they couldn't find a venue that either had more reasonable policies, or was willing to make an exception.

Especially since you walk in and turn left, and Freedom Munitions was selling ammo by the case, and knives, and if you turn right the Triggrcon Proshop is selling guns.

While wandering over to the Proshop I stopped at the Sig Sauer station -- they have a trailer set up as a traveling display, I've sen it elsewhere -- and confirmed that Sig does have plans for a .22LR P320, it's just that no one knows when...

But first... Before you got to the security station, there were several tables set up out front, mostly of local operations.

Mostly... The first stop I made was at the booth/table/display for PHLster Holsters. I've been admiring their Flat Pack Tourniquet "device"
(Another pic-heavy post, after the break...)

Triggrcon, Range Day

TriggrCon is the Northwest Shooting Sports Expo, which has been described as a "Mini-SHOT Show."

Well, I have a had time making it to Vegas for SHOT Show, but I can sure make it to Tacoma for this...

Signing up for tickets for Mrs. Drang and I for the "Enthusiast Days", I went ahead and applied for a Media Pass, because, hey, New Media and all that. I wasn't sure I'd get it, but what the heck...?

Sometimes I feel like the guy that does the police blotter for the Resume Speed Shopping News and gets invited to a press conference with the Times and stuff.

Anyway. Thursday was Range Day. The invite said it was at an "undisclosed location" which changed "at the last minute." I dunno about that. From the route the bus driver was taking I was pretty sure I knew where we were going, especially when someone said "I heard we were going to a sheriff's range."

Yep.

So here's the layout:

It's a pretty good set up. We were last there probably10 years ago (!) or more, for a muzzleloader shoot, when the range complex was pretty new, and still mostly bare dirt and rock. The best part is that it is far enough out in unincorporated King County that development stops before it gets this far, and the commute is too much for anyone.

Also, it shares the grounds with the before-mentioned King County Sheriff's Office range, as well as the Seattle Skeet & Trap/Boeing Employee's Shotgun Club range. (A friend of mine who worked on building the new range complex told me that, one night during the construction work, they came out of the club house after  meeting and witnessed a cougar taking down an elk. It's waaaaay out there...)

Anyway. A close up of who was at the range:

Click to enlarge.

Mostly pictures after the break:

Making America America

So, if you don't have the time to read James Webb's excellent little book Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America*, Joe Bob Briggs offers the TL;DR version here: A Brief History of the Redneck - Taki's Magazine Being Joe Bob of course, his version is, well, funnier.

I like to speculate about what things would look like today if James Webb had won the Democratic nomination for President.  Frankly, when he wasn't looking,American politics shifted and he would now fully qualify as "sometimes a RINO" if he changed parties.





*Because "executive summary" somehow just doesn't apply to Joe Bob Briggs writing about rednecks...

Only In America...

...Would a newly sworn in Chief Executive be criticized for giving an inaugural speech that was "nationalistic".

'Muricuh!

Seen at Instapundit:

A Qualified Defense of U.S. Soccer - Washington Free Beacon

I mean, I'm not all that big a fan of US Sportsball -- any of the three versions -- so Eurosportsball  is, well, icky.

But, still...

... imagine living in Ghana. Literally the only thing you have to be proud of in your dreadful, giraffe-free nation is the fact that your ragtag band of brothers has managed to lay low the Great Satan in the World Cup two outings running. You love soccer so much that the government was literally rationing electricity to ensure that you had enough power to watch the game. You’ll have been looking forward to this day for months, if not years.
And America ruined your shit yesterday.
This is what it means to be a global superpower, the hegemon of hegemons, the big bad bully on the block. We don’t even care about soccer and we still manage to field a decent team. We’ve appeared in the World Cup 10 times; only 12 nations have appeared more frequently than us. We haven’t missed a World Cup since 1990; only a handful of squads can say the same.

The hardest part of writing this post was trying to decide if I should start a tag for "sports", or maybe "sportsball." I decided, if I wasn't going to do it for the local American Sportsball team winning the Sportsball World Bowl, or whatever it's called, then Eurosportsball certainly didn't qualify.

Oh, please, oh please, oh please...

Remaining Government Stock of WWII M1911's Handguns to Be Sold Off to The Public.....

The morning after...

Glenn Reynolds has some deep thoughts re: The Declaration of Independence in ": Declaration should still wake the powerful up at night."

Independence Day, 2015

Image copywrite SharpWriter, used by permission as posted on the web page. Prints and posters available: George Washington The Original Master Chief by SharpWriter on DeviantArt

Image copywrite SharpWriter, used by permission as posted on the web page. Prints and posters available: George WARSHINGTON by SharpWriter on DeviantArt

Now go forth, and be Free.

General Washington would want it that way.

Every year about this time...

...I find myself biting my tongue rather than sound like a snippy old schoolmarm or something, pointing out to people that Memorial Day, FKA Decoration Day, is the day we remember those who did not make it back from the wars, NOT when we thank those who happen to have worn a uniform, whether they went anywhere and did anything particularly onerous.

That one is Veteran's Day, FKA Armistice Day.

This year, it is apparently also necessary to point out that Memorial/Decoration Day is an AMERICAN holiday.

US of A.

Veteran's/Armistice Day is also known in Commonwealth nations as Poppy or Remembrance Day; the custom of using poppies to commemorate the dead is a reference to the poem Flanders Fields, by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

And now I am seeing people post photos of Lancaster bombers and Spitfire fighters buzzing a field of poppies, urging Americans to observe Memorial Day.

Earworm, 11/11 Edition

This popped up on the satellite radio "40's" station on the way home from work:

One thing that impressed me was that it was correctly labeled "The Duckworth Chant."

Here's a period recording of the Duckworth Chant, recorded at the post where Private Duckworth made it up; it included a lengthy intro.

(The Wikipedia article about the Duckworth Chant quotes that page; it has more info on cadences in general, though.)

I am impressed that the brass seem to have been OK to references to Jody from the start...


My favorite renditions:

At one time I had quite the rep for knowing all the good Jodys. 

Here's some more info: Cadences

Happy Birthday, Jarheads!

U.S. Creates World's Largest Marine Preserve In Pacific

Executive Summary

The Great Divide, illustrated:

QOTD, 10/24/2013

Quite possibly Quote of the Decade.

From Mike Williamson on Facespace:

Let us hope the administration doesn't try to implement a nationwide energy policy. I suspect they can find a way for us to lose knowledge of fire.