tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post5050399016515559300..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: Dodging BulletsJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-53633193045251765822012-10-10T20:48:57.399-05:002012-10-10T20:48:57.399-05:00Politicians are some of the most unbelievable hypo...Politicians are some of the most unbelievable hypocrites in existence. <br /> As usual bang on the nail!Long Ben Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382408372788942193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-54055195905939679222012-09-29T20:53:16.938-05:002012-09-29T20:53:16.938-05:00In 2008 I said to friends something like this:
Th...In 2008 I said to friends something like this:<br /><br />There is a saying - there are old pilots. There are bold pilots. But there are no old, bold pilots.<br /><br />John McCain is the exception that proves this rule. He was bold in pressing the attack on Hanoi in his plane. He managed to survive. That makes him old and bold.<br /><br />It also makes him someone who doesn't follow the regulations. His orders for the attack included restrictions. One of those restrictions was not to press the attack when the anti-aircraft was heavy. He pressed the attack. He violated his orders.Rud Merriamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05243211372637967124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-49977982838952226652012-09-28T14:21:51.940-05:002012-09-28T14:21:51.940-05:00I didn't think the world would end, nor do I t...I didn't think the world would end, nor do I think most legitimate criticism of the repeal of the policy and/or law expected that. Then again, the world didn't end while the policy was in place either.<br /><br />But it would be naive to think that the policy change has no impact on the military. Given the numbers we're talking, any impact, positive or negative, would be expected to be minimal but nevertheless, I think you'll see some friction caused by the inability to look ahead and see 2nd and 3rd order effects. After all, blacks and woman have been integrated for 55 and 36 years respectively, yet we still have an EO and DACOWITZ.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-75993013108509381232012-09-25T14:43:43.224-05:002012-09-25T14:43:43.224-05:00Really glad I found your blog. Spot on!Really glad I found your blog. Spot on!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14753757053341187597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-53016774774819824902012-09-25T06:48:38.843-05:002012-09-25T06:48:38.843-05:00Charles,
You have it backwards. 58 senators voted...Charles,<br />You have it backwards. 58 senators voted in favor of the Veterans <br />Jobs bill. 40 voted against it on a technicality, all of them Republicans. <br />http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/250391-gop-kills-veterans-jobs-bill-with-budget-vote<br /><br />A minority of the Senate can kill bills by technicalities and filibusters. The GOP have been using those rules for the past 4 years in record numbers (~250 times, more than 1/week), more than at any time in recent history. Bills used to be slowed down or blocked ~20 times per year, and in more distant past 3-4 times per year. Jerry A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01835584492326180042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-83006644002511824732012-09-25T06:27:16.948-05:002012-09-25T06:27:16.948-05:00Agreed. That'd certainly be scintillating stuf...Agreed. That'd certainly be scintillating stuff! <br /><br />(& by stuff I mean natural spectroscopes, to use another scientific prism of thinking 'bout things.)StevoRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02506855815096149912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61524206923792503962012-09-25T06:24:05.404-05:002012-09-25T06:24:05.404-05:00Someone upthread has said it already so I'm go...Someone upthread has said it already so I'm going to second it - you are on a roll lately Jim. <br /><br />Cheers. Keep up the great blogging. (Raised beer salute.)<br /><br />FYI. Linked on the pharnygula blog "lounge" comment #238 and shared your olden days 2012 - 1912 comparison one on facebook too.StevoRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02506855815096149912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-79046285763738534312012-09-25T00:58:12.353-05:002012-09-25T00:58:12.353-05:00I think those 58 Senators who voted to kill the Ve...I think those 58 Senators who voted to kill the Veterans Job Bill should be made to walk ahead of the vehicles in Afghanistan and Iraq in the hopes that some Taliban or Al Queda fighter will do the world a favor and shoot or blow the bastards up.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02360031026064186356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-65069733767448287642012-09-24T17:59:35.547-05:002012-09-24T17:59:35.547-05:00John - So often in the military (and law enforceme...John - So often in the military (and law enforcement or firefighting) immediate action renders race, gender, hatred or fear meaningless in the need to act in super human ways to save a life (or take a life, if need be). Your story is terrifying, but the actions of your saviors have nothing to do with their identities. Distilled to the essence of service, shipmates are shipmates. But your response to who they were reveals as much character in yourself as in the men who came to your aid without thought to their own safety. <br /><br />To me, flightdecks are the modern equivalent of a cacophonous ballet where a misstep or error can get you crushed, shredded, run over or knocked overboard (an 80' fall if the nets don't catch you). My respect to the Yellow/Green/Red Shirts. I prefer nighttime parachute OPS as safer and more peaceful. Semper Fi - Tommy DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-8276949192813084702012-09-24T16:31:50.836-05:002012-09-24T16:31:50.836-05:00I, for one, could use more sparkly rainbows in the...I, for one, could use more sparkly rainbows in the sky.<br /><br />I also think Jesus gets very tired of being used as a blunt instrument to whack people over the head with. Really, really tired of it.<br />-JessicaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-59030000711160992502012-09-24T14:14:27.250-05:002012-09-24T14:14:27.250-05:00Jim:
I’ve gotta learn to take my laptop along wit...Jim:<br /><br />I’ve gotta learn to take my laptop along with me whenever I go out of town for a few days because every time I come back I find I’m way behind the comments on your site. I’m not really into twittering, tweaking or twaddling or whatever the hell it is that folks do these days, and I’m just too damned old to catch up. But your comments about DADT jolted my history genes and I remembered back to another time when such things were never discussed in polite company. Anyhoo, here’s something about progress you can put away in your history index for future reference.<br /><br />I’ve gotta start off be admitting that I once thought I’d be a lifer in the Navy. It was just after WWII in 1946, I was serving on the flight deck of a carrier directing and spotting planes on the flight deck when I got hit by a blast of propwash from an F8F Bearcat doing a magneto check. That 2800hp Pratt & Whitney produced a volume or air of hurricane force that lifted me right off the deck and propelled me in the direction of a second Bearcat behind me also doing a full throttle run-up. Before I realized what was happening I was heading toward a grisly but spectacular death in that air cooled meat grinder when suddenly I got slammed onto the deck by a human body hitting me from the blind side. Almost immediately, I was hit be a second body and between them they managed to pin me onto the deck until the hurricane subsided.<br /><br />A second later the Flight Deck Chief had me by the collar as he gave me a tongue lashing about my stupidity. When I looked around at my saviors I was surprised to see that one was white and the other was black. This was about the time when Truman had decided to integrate the services and, in the Navy, black crewmen were no longer relegated to being officer’s stewards or mess cooks only. In fact he was the only black man in our division.<br /><br />The white crewman was the only guy in our division who was considered to be “queer” but no one was ever able to prove it one way or the other. Nevertheless he was treated like a pariah and constantly taunted, particularly by the religious whackos in the division.<br /><br />And, as you might imagine, I had an epiphany about race and sexual orientation that was considered uncommon for the 1940s and, though I thought such ideas should have disappeared more than a half century ago, are still subjects of contention today. <br /> <br />John from Rhody <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-79233334682266008222012-09-24T10:45:06.431-05:002012-09-24T10:45:06.431-05:00Actually under federal law if the offence is punis...Actually under federal law if the offence is punishable by over one year confinement, it's classified as a felony. Art. 125 has a maximum penalty of five years confinement, so yes it's a felony under federal law.ParatrooperJJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-20446104627640090382012-09-23T20:31:01.307-05:002012-09-23T20:31:01.307-05:00Inside every "Real American" Republican ...Inside every "Real American" Republican scared to death of homosexuals......is a Gimp, all zipped up and busting to get out. The fear is not so much OF the homosexual. The fear is IN the GOP homosexual. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-834431812581516342012-09-23T19:36:22.660-05:002012-09-23T19:36:22.660-05:00I'm sure McCain could come up with the same ex...I'm sure McCain could come up with the same excuses and hand-waving for refusing to concede defeat as Elaine Donnelly. Google her in the news to see her lame stabs at holding her ground.Christopher DeMillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14670766623166754831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-15052038488424119212012-09-23T18:15:57.525-05:002012-09-23T18:15:57.525-05:00"I served in uniform for more than two decade..."I served in uniform for more than two decades. I served under four republican presidents and two democrats. Without exception, when republicans talk about “taking care of our veterans” what they really mean is money for defense contractors and new weapon programs. When democrats talk about “taking care of our veterans” they’re talking about people, about the Veterans Administration and medical coverage and jobs."<br /><br />I have elaborated on this very point to numerous military and ex military friends of mine over the years....and still they vote republican. <br />I cant figure out how any veteran can vote republican, or any women, or any minority, or any gay person...or for that matter, any rational human being. Their craven, naked self interest is now on very public display as an ingrained tennant of their ideology. They treat the rest of us like they are cornered animals fighting for the last scrap of food. I hope we are witnessing their end as a political force in this country, for everybody's sake.blackdaughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05554233110211227532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-48233826707219696672012-09-23T18:08:19.397-05:002012-09-23T18:08:19.397-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.blackdaughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05554233110211227532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-52136106444193629042012-09-23T13:25:01.970-05:002012-09-23T13:25:01.970-05:00Beautiful post. As a Navy civilian who's work...Beautiful post. As a Navy civilian who's worked with our PROFESSIONAL military for 28 years I could never understand why there would be a problem with repealing DADT. And there hasn't been. <br /><br />The partisanship with the Veterans Jobs bill is a disgrace, as is McCain. <br /><br />Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-27768186965832357322012-09-23T11:31:52.698-05:002012-09-23T11:31:52.698-05:00Thank you. Put this on my FB for my Army veteran d...Thank you. Put this on my FB for my Army veteran daughter, my currently serving-somewhere-that-doesn't-exist AF son and my currently serving Guard FS.Nancy T. Woodnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-43375287640307983542012-09-23T00:31:18.228-05:002012-09-23T00:31:18.228-05:00Thanks for your post, Jim. I could never lie, so ...Thanks for your post, Jim. I could never lie, so never was able to serve in the military. 27 years (and counting) of civilian law enforcement instead. Thanks to all who serve, have served, and will serve. And thanks for your blog. <br /><br />Ally House, who will show up as "Annon" because there's just some stuff I haven't figured out yet...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-874943865246330002012-09-22T17:12:31.972-05:002012-09-22T17:12:31.972-05:00Jim, we don't have bravo zulu in the army, but...Jim, we don't have bravo zulu in the army, but my unit had something close. <br /> Gary Owen CWhoa!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-9683097925800956692012-09-21T20:47:27.968-05:002012-09-21T20:47:27.968-05:00Jerry, ParaTrooperJJ is a troll. Please don't ...Jerry, ParaTrooperJJ is a troll. Please don't feed him.<br /><br /><br />I put the term "medical issues" into the post on purpose. It's a troll whistle. <br /><br />And just for the record, The UCMJ does not classify offenses as petty offenses, misdemeanors, or felonies. This is something a "paratrooper" should know - if he really <i>was</i> a paratrooper instead of just playing one online.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-33303793549293325232012-09-21T20:40:39.202-05:002012-09-21T20:40:39.202-05:00You seem to know a lot about "the gays,"...You seem to know a lot about "the gays," JJ. <br /><br />Too bad you don't have the same detailed knowledge of the UCMJ.<br /><br />Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-4038511505689227142012-09-21T20:39:39.613-05:002012-09-21T20:39:39.613-05:00So, PJJ, is this some sort of bigoted fake-concern...So, PJJ, is this some sort of bigoted fake-concern about AIDS? It's not like you're hinting at diabetes or high blood pressure, right? It's okay to come out and say the words "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome", bigot, you won't catch it (not from that, anyway). AIDS is a medical disease, not a social pariah-hood like your bigotry. Of course, if you came out and said AIDS, then you'd admit that your kind of bigot thinks all gay men have AIDS, and you'd sound even more of an idiot than you do by just hinting at it. Well, as a biochemist and long time AIDS researcher, let me just clear it up for you. I'll type slowly and use small words so you can keep up. AIDS is a communicable disease caused by a virus. Not all gay men have it. Fewer lesbians have it, so it's notable that your fake-concern bigotry about DADT doesn't even include them. Many people who are infected with HIV, in fact most of the cases in the world, are _heterosexual_. HIV is a virus and doesn't care if you're an open homosexual, a closeted self-hating bigot on the down low who votes straight GOP (pun intended), a baby, a teenager taught "abstinence-only" crap and nothing about condoms, a faithful wife of a philandering husband, or a celibate nun nurse in a hospital who happens to get stuck with a needle at the wrong time. Or are you hinting that you have some other kind of secret medical knowledge about secret gay medical issues that the entire medical community has missed for the past 175 years? So what freaking "medical issue" ARE you talking about, bigot? Come out with it, or admit that you're just vomiting 30 year old bigoted GRIDS lies without knowing single thing about medicine and just want any plausible sounding excuse to be a hate-filled bigot. Did you jump helmet-first without a parachute one too many times or did you just deliberately ignore all of the medical information in the news for the past three decades? <br /><br />As far as the UCMJ, learn to freaking read (and think, though that may be too much to expect). Article 125 is about consensual sodomy (it covers oral sex too) and applies to _all_ sexual orientations. It is violated more by straight people than gay or lesbian service members simply because there are fewer gays and lesbians than straights. Every time a guy's wife or girlfriend gave him a BJ at home, they violated Article 125, he became just as much of a "felon" and nobody freaking wanted to know or would have cared. So, PJJ the wannabe barracks lawyer, it's as much of a felony for straights as for anyone else. It's just not enforced much, or in a fair manner. If it were not for the GOP's bigoted hypocrites just like you in the Senate, then this antiquated and mostly ignored law would have been repealed already (smart people tried again in 2012). I call your "felony" objection stupidity based on your bigotry, not legality. You are convicting them first for being gay and only then trying to find a law they broke, written by bigoted prudish hypocrites just like you a century ago. They made sodomy a crime back then because they hated gays, not because a "moral" guy would never ask for a blowjob. (What is it with bigots who obsess more about gay sex than gay people do?) <br /><br />I don't know what I dislike more, the fact that you're a small-minded prejudiced, hate-filled bigot, or the fact that you're deliberately ignoring the kind of science I've and thousands of other scientists have been doing for the past 20 years. Either way, your snide bigoted remarks deserved to be taken apart every time you open your filth-filled ignorant mouth. Go crawl back under your rock, or maybe, just maybe open your eyes to the fact that gays are not diseased outcasts. You can't attack honorably serving gay and lesbian military with your bigotry, hatred, and contempt, because they do not deserve it. They are better than that, and given your tone, better than you. Jerry A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01835584492326180042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-58110296101774793862012-09-21T20:08:33.065-05:002012-09-21T20:08:33.065-05:00Great post! I wish you would write a scathing pie...Great post! I wish you would write a scathing piece about that fucktard Kevin McCarthy. I have the unfortunate circumstance of having him for the dumbest Congressman on earth. Mr. Buttboy for Boehner.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-34021146597950615652012-09-21T19:43:11.407-05:002012-09-21T19:43:11.407-05:00Lord High McCain, Savior of all (White People In) ...Lord High McCain, Savior of all (White People In) Arizona, would never deign to apologize. Shame, that. Once upon a time, I think he had integrity.kittennoreply@blogger.com