Pithy Rant and opinions....

 Well August is almost here and School is fixing to start....well almost...

  But apparently the CDC is taking their cues from the Teachers unions that happen to love the idea of Virtual or even better "No School" where the kids are promoted to the next grade and they are not taught anything and the members are paid to do nothing.  The Teachers love this, they get a check and don't work...and at the same time they lecture us about "Staying home, and saving lives" and acting all sanctimonious about it as they try to look down at all us "Mundanes" that actually have to work and make a living while they stay home.

    And speaking of the CDC, they can't seem to get their story straight....first they say no mask....then we need mask....then we don't need mask if you are vaccinated ...but now they are saying even with the vaccine, you have to wear a mask.  They are having a credibility issue, and many people are having severe doubts about it.  If they were honest about everything from the word "GO" instead of going political to help the democrats win an election and hide the source of the Virus, they sowed doubts on the credibility of their agency, I know that I don't trust them or any government agency...I believe that they don't have my best interest at heart, only their own and that is counter to mine and any other freedom loving American.  But the problem is that many Americans are in a rush to embrace the chains and the moving goalpost of the nanny state.  It seems that our "Betters" have a credibility problem, they keep pushing us to get vaccinated and wear a mask and yet the rules are different for them, and they wonder why quite a few people are giving them the "Hairy" eyeball, myself included.

   Meanwhile for the college students, it is a little different this year, thanks to the "Woke" movement, and people are wondering why they are sending their kids and many kids are wondering why they have to go to college to deal with all the stupidity.  My son for instance refused to go to college for several reasons, one was he didn't want to deal with the indoctrination, and the questionable education product and the debt, instead he is going to a Technical school to get his welding certifications and a technical degree.

   Meanwhile the speaker of the house convened her kangaroo court to hear testimony on the January coup, er Insurrection, er the worst thing that has happened to American democracy since the British invaded the capital in 1814 and torched it. 

 

 I saw weeping capital police officers and other drama students milking their 15 minutes of fame, and this is the sole purpose is to keep the January 6 protest on the front burner until the midterm to hurt the GOP and they will try to impeach President Trump for the 3rd time to try to kill any chance of him running in 2024.  I believe that the hearing is to provide cover for the donks and Pelosi denying President Trump asking for support from the Guard, they knew that there were going to be an incident and they wanted to make sure that President Trump got blamed for it.    Meanwhile the BLM(Burn, Loot and Murder) and Antifa and their *Mostly Peaceful Protest* (TM) that destroyed billions of dollars of property, killed a lot of people and injured a lot of people including a bunch of cops are giving a pass by the media and the FBI and other government agencies.   Funny how that works.

     Meanwhile many Americans are skeptical of the Vaccine, myself included.  If the CDC hasn't had such a credibility issue and changing their story depending on the political winds more people would be more accepting of the vaccine.  I flat out don't trust the CDC and the "JAB", the 2nd dose killed my dad and I also have had covid so I will not take the vaccine and having the government wanting to go door to door to enforce it really gives me the "Willies" as they say,

      Meanwhile President* Usurper is talking about bringing back mask mandates and forced vaccination to government agencies. but somehow the illegals that are flooding across the border are giving a pass and they are dumping them in red states at the airports, and bus stations and hotels with the catholic charities and other NGO's moving them around and then they wonder why there is a spike in covid cases in the Southeast....again.....Funny how that works.  I guess if you are a potential voting bloc for the donks, all kind of things are possible.....except screenings.

"If I were the Devil" a Warning from Paul Harvey

 This is a reprint from an article I did back in 2015, This was prompted by an article that Old NFO posted that was a to use a term from the Bill and Ted Movie "A Most Excellent Rant".  And it jogged memories of Paul Harvey talking about "If I was the Devil" and other things Paul Harvey.

  I was talking to one of my friends at work, My friend Alex had his toolbox at the nose of the airplane so I was reading the part of the toolbox that is normally covered up by other toolboxes.  In it he had this letter from Paul Harvey.  It was titled "A letter to children".   I read it and remembered who Paul Harvey was.  I used to listen to Paul Harvey and his "Rest of the Story" when I was living in Alabama and would tune into the radio station out of Heflin Alabama.  I would hear Paul Harvey and I figured that he was a local announcer, I didn't realize until much later he was a national figure.  Paul Harvey was remembered for his down home manner of speech and the ability to explain an issue.  I remembered that he had a well developed sense of right and wrong and he was fiercely loyal to his friends and causes he believed in. 

1918-2009

Robert D. McFadden, writing Harvey's obituary for the New York Times, examined his unique radio style and how it interacted with his political views:

[He] "personalized the radio news with his right-wing opinions, but laced them with his own trademarks: a hypnotic timbre, extended pauses for effect, heart-warming tales of average Americans and folksy observations that evoked the heartland, family values and the old-fashioned plain talk one heard around the dinner table on Sunday."

"'Hello, Americans,' he barked. 'This is Paul Harvey! Stand byyy for Newwws!'"

"He railed against welfare cheats and defended the death penalty. He worried about the national debt, big government, bureaucrats who lacked common sense, permissive parents, leftist radicals and America succumbing to moral decay. He championed rugged individualism, love of God and country, and the fundamental decency of ordinary people."

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches.. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy / girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it... And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he/she is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbour's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.
                                                                                                                                         Paul Harvey


  I also will add his "If I was the Devil" that he did back in 1965.

 

Warning to a nation.....Given back in 1965

 

The Douglas A-20 Havoc, A versatile Medium Bomber

  I am doing an Historical Planes post, I didn't know a whole lot about the A-20, she seemed to get short shrift compared to the B26 and the B25. 

 

During WWII, every aircraft in America’s roster of medium bombers was excellent. These were the B-26 Marauder, the B-25 Mitchell, and the A-20 Havoc. The latter was overshadowed by the more famous B-25 and B-26, but was no less capable, and in some ways was better than these aircraft. For an early war aircraft of this size, the Havoc was fast and agile, earning praise from many pilots who loved its flying characteristics.

The aircraft’s origins date back to the mid-1930s, when a team of talented aircraft designers from Douglas drew up plans for a bomber with a shoulder-mounted wing. Under each wing was to be a 450 horsepower radial engine, which would have given the aircraft rather lackluster performance. The planes involved in the Spanish Civil War proved that this aircraft would not be able to compete with foreign designs and it was canceled.

Photo Credit: United States Army Air Forces

The following year, in 1937, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) sent out a requirement for a new aircraft. It turned out these requirements were similar to Douglas’ 1936 design. Recognizing this, Douglas drew up a similar aircraft, but with 1,100 horsepower engines this time, and named the Model 7B. The 7B first flew on 26 October 1938.

At this phase of development, it was competing against a few aircraft from other manufacturers, including the North American NA-40, which would later lead into the B-25 Mitchell.

Although the U.S. was not hugely impressed by the aircraft, the French were, after a purchasing committee witnessed it in action. In 1939, the French placed an order for 270 7Bs, which caused Douglas to make some hefty redesigns to perfect the aircraft. The updated aircraft was now powered by two 1,600-1,700 horsepower supercharged or turbosupercharged radial engines and renamed the DB-7.

With these engines, the aircraft was very fast for its size, and now caught the attention of the U.S. They placed an order for the aircraft, which they named the A-20. The British placed an order for DB-7s too.

The aircraft was quick for the day, able to reach a speed of around 320 mph, which was not much less than fighter aircraft at the time. In comparison, the B-25 Mitchell, which first flew two years after the A-20, had a top speed of around 270 mph.

Women working on the Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 engine of a Douglas A-20 Havoc twin-engine bomber at Douglas Aircraft Company’s plant in Long Beach, California.

The A-20G was the most numerous version built, and carried two .50 caliber machine guns and four 20 mm cannons in the nose. After 250 A-20Gs had been made, the four 20 mm cannons were replaced with .50 caliber machine guns. It had a dorsal gunner position with two .50 caliber machine guns and another .50 caliber mounted underneath the aircraft behind the bomb bay.

It carried a crew of three: the pilot, gunner, and bombardier.

Depending on the variant, the A-20 could carry 2,000 pounds of bombs, and it often dropped a large array of different ordnance including torpedoes, bombs, incendiary bombs, and rockets.

                Workers groom lines of transparent noses for A-20 attack bombers.

Many pilots thought the A-20 was an excellent and easy aircraft to fly as it required little effort to throw it around in the sky. As it was controlled by a single person, this let the pilot truly fly the aircraft how they wanted. The A-20 was particularly friendly to novice pilots, unlike the B-26 Marauder that needed to be controlled in a very precise manner during take-offs and landings.

When the aircraft was reviewed by the RAF, a test pilot said it “has no vices and is very easy to take off and land … The aeroplane represents a definite advantage in the design of flying controls … extremely pleasant to fly and manoeuvre.”

Although it was fast and handled great, the A-20 lacked range, which somewhat limited its use throughout the war.

Servicing [an] A-20 bomber, Langley Field, Va. (Photo Credit: Alfred T. Palmer / Library of Congress)

France’s order for the aircraft had hardly been fulfilled when Germany invaded in 1940. A number of their DB-7s participated in the defense of France against the Nazis before they were taken to North Africa to stop them from falling into enemy hands. Some of these were eventually used against the Allies by the Vichy government.

France’s undelivered DB-7s were diverted to Britain after France fell, and they were absorbed into the RAF. The A-20’s biggest user by far was the Soviet Union, who received 3,400 of them. They made some modifications to the aircraft’s armaments and to help it operate in freezing environments. The Soviets used more A-20s than the U.S.

The A-20 was highly versatile, being used in ground attack, as a night fighter, intruder, bomber, in reconnaissance, and in anti-ship missions, just to name a few.

Production of the A-20 stopped in 1944, after nearly 7,500 were built overall.

 

Monday Music "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC

 

 Man this theme is still rolling.......

 I am continuing my string of "bugaloo" songs.  This discussion was started in the "Monster Hunter Nation, Hunters Unite", back in November of 2019? it is a Facebook group with enthusiast of the ILOH "International Lord of Hate" A.K.A Larry Correia.  We were talking about what song would we use if we looked out of our window or glanced at our security camera and saw this.....

One of the alphabet bois lining up to take down your house...What would be your "Valhalla" song and you would set it up to play as you load up magazines set up the Tannerite Rover, turn on the water irrigation system and fill it with gasoline instead of water and prepare yourself.

 I figured it would scar the alphabet boys if they come busting in and hearing a song about people standing for their beliefs and willing to fight for them no matter the cost, Good Music  unlike that crap they listen to now.  What can I say, My humor is warped....just a bit. Next week will be "Streets of Fire" by Various Artist, ..How Appropriate, LOL,  Now that should really cause some psych evals., hehehe, some poor ATF guy trying to explain the attraction to his mother because he is imaging himself as The savior of the American way rather than working for an agency that have the initials of a convenience store.  Now because we ain't gonna answer that door.  They can kick it in and start "the Dance"    I am very unhappy that the various .gov agencies have been weaponized by Obunger and continued to this day by the alphabet agencies because they don't like people that ain't on the democrat plantation.  Well I kinda like my freedom and stuff and that is anathema to the deep state and their operatives.

   I got the idea for this song from this book:

Tolkien meets Shock and Awe

Orcs. Trolls. Wraith riders. Dark wizards. Together, they form an unstoppable force. Or so they thought.
Dark Army… meet the U.S. Army Rangers.
When a Joint Task Force of elite Rangers are transported to a strange and fantastic future where science and evolution have incarnated the evils of myth and legend, they find themselves surrounded, pinned down, and in a desperate fight for their very survival—against nightmares of flesh and blood made real. Which means only one thing.
It’s time to Ranger Up and stack bodies.
The forces of evil have no idea how dangerous a Ranger has been trained to be, and once the action starts, it won’t let up in this no-holds-barred, full-auto, epic battle for survival in the Forgotten Ruin.

From the creators of Galaxy's Edge...

     The Protagonist is called "Talker" he has the ability to speak multiple languages, and is a ad-hoc ad on to the Ranger Unit tasked to "Save Civilization", and he was taught a trick when he went through the "Shoot house" to play a song while going through the house to help empty his mind and this song seemed to do the trick for him   "SURPRISE, LOSERS!", LOL as the Rangers bring the hate., LOL   The book is a rocking good read if you are a fan of Tolken and Dungeon and Dragons and Stacking Bodies, you will like this book, and the 2 sequels.

    

"Shoot to Thrill" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the second track on the 1980 album Back in Black. This song is also the second track of AC/DC Live and AC/DC Live: 2 CD Collector's Edition, and is included on the Iron Man 2 soundtrack.Although the studio version was never released as a single, the song is a fan favourite and a staple on classic rock radio stations. 

 

When explaining his lyrical inspiration for the song, lead singer and then-songwriter Brian Johnson recalled reading a British article about a neighbourhood pusher who made daily rounds (almost like a milkman) throughout the London suburbs, selling narcotics to bored, lonely and depressed housewives. These substance-effected homemakers would then peruse the local clubs and bars, seeking out torrid, extra-marital relationships. The term "Shoot to thrill.." most likely refers to certain solutions such as diazepam (valium), which is often administered via injection to treat anxiety and depression.

Lead guitarist Angus Young has recently commented that the song's 'break-down', which occurs soon after the main solo (a muted and repeating three chord sequence of A Major triad, G Major triad, and a D power-chord leading up to a bombastic outro-solo), was inspired by the trio gun-battle climax from Sergio Leone's classic, Italian western 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". In this seminal scene, gun-fighters Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach stare one another down in the centre of a Civil-War cemetery for minutes-on-end to an eventual shoot-out. Young said this sequence in the song was designed to mirror the actual soundtrack selection 'Il Triello' by composer Ennio Morricone. Both compositions feature a slow quiet build-up, increasing in tension to a thunderous, cataclysmic finale.

 

   This is the Version used in "Iron Man II"

 

The P-8 platform as a "Missile Truck"

 I saw this article on a article called "!945" and they were talking about the P-8 Poseidon.  I added in a comments that it is unnecessary to get any P-8's from the Navy for the P-8 is a modified Boeing 737 ERX that is still being built,  it would be easier to get Boeing to build purpose built planes for the Airforce than get any P-8's from the Navy especially since Boeing is building the plane type for the Australians, Norwegians, British, Indians, Japanese and others.

The United States military is continuing with its efforts to improve its capabilities when it comes to operating in contested environments that appear likely to increasingly characterize modern battlefields. The military’s aviation community has not been exempt from these efforts, with continued improvements in both Russian and Chinese air defense networks promising to present a real challenge.

 

For the Air Force, efforts to overcome this challenge have included its fleet of bombers and long-range strike aircraft, with the service considering the future of its bomber fleet as it makes plans to purchase an ever-increasing number of B-21 Raider bombers. Efforts to develop future capabilities, however, have to be balanced with efforts to develop accessible and cost-effective solutions for improving near-term capabilities. For the Air Force, one possible option for doing just that includes adopting and modifying a current naval aircraft platform for use as a long-range strike aircraft.

The aircraft in question is the Navy’s P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. Developed by Boeing, the P-8 has proven to be a versatile and successful platform capable of undertaking long-range and extended-duration reconnaissance and surveillance operations as well as naval strike missions. In addition, the Poseidon is an important tool for the Navy when it comes to anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations.

As written about on The Warzone, the P-8 Poseidon is a candidate for adoption by the Air Force and conversion into a long-range strike aircraft. The recommendation offered in the article argues that Air Force variants of the P-8 – which the article labels as “RB-8” aircraft – are stripped of their maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare equipment, excluding any relevant communication and defensive countermeasure capabilities and any electronic support measures. Conversion of P-8s into RB-8s would also see the installation of a new modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar in the aircraft’s nose.

 

Dropping the P-8’s maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare equipment would free up converted RB-8s to function as long-range missile delivery platforms. Current P-8s are outfitted with stations for carrying 2,500 pounds worth of weapons. P-8s use these stations to mount a range of weapons such as AGM-84 Harpoons and Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles, and the RB-8s could supplement this arsenal by mounting the Joint Air-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). The RB-8 could also make use of the five hardpoints inside of the P-8’s weapons bay, each of which are capable of mounting 1,000 pounds of munitions. These could be used to hold a number of weapons such as the GBU-53B Stormbreaker guided bombs. 

 

Conversion of P-8s into these RB-8 missile platforms would provide the Air Force with a versatile strike aircraft capable of engaging a wide range of targets on land and at sea while doing so more efficiently than fighter aircraft. In addition, this conversion would allow the Navy’s P-8s to focus primarily on maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare operations, both of which require a large commitment of aircraft.

 

In addition, given that the Air Force would be making use of the Navy’s preexisting development of the P-8 platform, costs of the new aircraft would be relatively low. The conversion of the P-8s into RB-8s would likely be a relatively straightforward and quick process. This would provide the Air Force with a short-term boost in its long-range strike capacity without detracting from its ability to purchase higher-end platforms such as the B-21 in the future, and would give the service a valuable high-low mix of bomber and strike-aircraft moving forward.