I’ve just finished reading Ozymandias’ latest installment on the U.S. Military/DoD Anthrax vaccine case. Man, oh man—that is some powerful stuff. It’s also a bit like watching a martial arts movie: I want to imitate what I’ve just witnessed, but, who am I kidding? Well, let’s get to it, shall we?
A late-night appetizer, to get us started.
I forgot the News of the Weird link last week. Not again, you bastard!
In my first article, I asked about the Glibertarian Discord set-up. There are quite a few familiar and almost-forgotten names there. Raphael, who straddles both of these worlds, was kind enough to provide a summation for us about the basics—“So Discord functions as a group instant messaging/chat platform. Think of it like Skype but without the video chat. Some articles that have popped up on the classic links threads have also made their way into discussions in the Discord server. There are also articles made by fellow Glibs that are linked to the Discord such as the Hat & Hair series, Woke Charmed Reviews, and The Awesome Adventures of Secret Nazi President Series. All the text-message channels are themed on topics so for example, articles/links/comments relating to firearm laws/gun-related questions are all posted in the specifically named #gun channel. Users can also tag other users in posts so they can be pinged/notified. This helps discussions on a particular issue to be continued with relative ease. There are also voice chat channels too so if some glibs want to play video games together, they can chat/coordinate strategies there too.
I enjoy going between both the Discord and the mother site so I’m okay with either platform. I will admit though that the Discord is a bit easier to catch up on since it is an instant messaging platform and the topic channels there keep conversations mostly organized and on-topic. In the end, I like both services for glibbing it up and plan to keep doing so as long as I can.” — I am starting to use it a bit, myself. There’s a bit of a learning curve for me, as I’m used to seeing used in terms of video game streamers, but, I admit, it can be fun. Not as much fun as waiting around here for your wonderful posts…
As I write this, I am reading that OrangeBadMan has kicked Michael John Bolton to the curb. This will, no doubt, be old news by the time of this post, but, what a wonderfully weird situation. Does this mean there is hope for a reduction in military adventurism for the U.S.?
SP mentioned in her rant thread that TPTB are real-life friends. And, I know that various glibs have met other, various glibs IRL. So, who here is chummy with who, in meat-space (that you are willing to admit to)? How often do these mixers take place? What does it take to get on the invite list, if, say, one were interested in this sort of thing? Where the hell my North Texas Glibs at?
Which leads me to: Vacations. Where do you lot like to get away from your normal lives? Is it season-dependent? Close vs. far? Pricey vs. cheap? I’m not a well-traveled man, so, my selection pool is rather limited. I, personally, love me some Redneck Riviera/Gulf Coast. However, it’s a long car trip, made more difficult the older I get. So, I tend to be happy with Port Aransas. Oops! Really, though; being from the largest U.S. city without a waterway makes me love my state’s crappy coastline that much more. Tell me/us about the ‘Where’, even if it’s bucket list material.
Another YT channel I’d like to pimp: Steve1989MREinfo. The guy tries out various MREs from around the world, including (very) old ones. I don’t actually watch the videos of the rations that are out-of-date; I just show up for the modern ones. The guy seems to have a sharp palate, and a really easy-going disposition. I think he’ll eat just about any kind of food put before him. Give his channel the once-over, and see what he has to offer.
Finally, since we just had the 9/11 anniversary a few days ago, does anyone have a “Where were you?” story for 9/11 that you want to share? I was a new 30-year-old working security with my friend’s dad (my dinner and coffee friend from my 2nd H&H t-shirt article), waiting patiently as I tired to get into my first LE job. I worked overnights there, and saw the first reports as my shift was winding down. I wasn’t fully sure what was going on, and, admittedly, it felt rather far away from me. As I recall, I was taking “wait and see” attitude, since it didn’t really make a lot of sense in my mind, and I kinda-sorta thought I was witnessing aviation issues, not terrorism.
Well, Borderlands 3 has arrived (It better have—Sir Digby on Thursday morning), so, I’m gonna be digging in to that while participating here. As always, if you want me to include something in my posts, drop me a line on my Protonmail account (sir.digby.71). Be excellent to each other!
Gotta go fulfill my “husbandly duties”. Back in an hour. (get your minds out of the gutter, we watch an episode of a show on Netflix every Saturday night)
Hey! First!
I have the same spousal duty tonight. I think we’re now up to Episode 4 of the third season of Stranger Things. When you only watch one episode per week it takes awhile, and we were way later than everyone else to start the show already. But watching one every week is like the pre-binging days of TV. We might as well be getting ready to watch The Carol Burnett Show.
Ha! We just watched Episode 7 of the same show! We’re old.
+1 ear-tug
Those were the days, but I do like me some binging if not anything that is actually on TV now not named The Expanse.
My uncle owned a strip club named after that ditty, way before I was ever old enough for such things.
Oh man, I’ll bet he has stories…
Skyrim. That’s my safe-space.
I used to do a lot of solo trout fishing in precarious places. Don’t think that I’ve ever been so content before or since. Used to golf a lot which was pretty Zen after I outgrew my raging temper.
What she meant is that before she agreed to start the site, we all had to send nudes to one another.
Wait, is Discord safe, or is it a Google / Apple / data miner?
On 9/11 I was a freshman in college, in the pacific time zone. My brother in the navy was supposed to fly out of New York that day. I woke up to a phone call from my sister “He’s OK!!!” I had no idea what she was talking about, and I turned on the news.
She looks like a nice lady
I thought your thing was asian chicks, you tryin’ to steal our white women now?!
You all typecast me! I’ve never limited myself.
#orangemanbad
How could that be any good? She’s gonna have to keep her tongue pressed into the roof of her mouth to prevent brain freeze.
/Cowboys, Ted!
Discord doesn’t suit me. It feels like a BBS board from a few decades ago, too busy.
I was invited but there is no way that I could keep up. Just reading comments here takes up a giant slice of my internet time.
Anyone know about the F.I.R.E thing? Financial Independence, Retire Early? What a fucking cult.
Woman has been into it for months and months. I agree with most of it. Spend less than you earn I fucking get it. It’s like eating less than you expend.
Problem is the cult like behavior. I agreed to see the cult movie she wants to see. I’ll go hang.out with members of her cult.
I won’t listen to hours after hours of her cult shit on podcasts and YouTube.
Fuck. Everytime it comes up, we fight and I dont get any sex. Screw that. I’m going to drink more.
Zenu comin’.
I don’t think he’s gonna see dem titties.
gbob is doing better than RDA in that regard, I’d bet.
More of a cult than we have here? I mean Trump is the Trinity in the Hat and the Hair. We’re pretty culty.
I see those stories in the tabloids and roll my eyes.
I can’t imagine retiring early. Work is far more interesting and fulfilling than having nothing to do.
I’m very good at doing nothing, not so good at working.
On Fridays, I agree.
On Mondays, I don’t.
I must be in the wrong line of work because I can’t fucking wait.
There’s something about MRE Steve’s voice that grates on me. Other than that, I like the content. II liked the dark brown almost black wrapper MRE meals, other than the eggs. Much better than the tan ones. I took a look at a current menu and it the downward slide appears to continue. Best combat rations were the the Brits 24 hour ration packs but those also seem to be have gone to shit.
I’ve never had an MRE, are they better or worse than $1 Swanson’s TV dinners?
Depends on age. At 12, I would go with Swanson’s. At 42 or am I 43, I forget? MREs
So you’re saying Joes in war zones eat better than me? I believe it.
Same? Think highly processed shelf stable food in retort packs. But what do I know? I preferred eating the things cold.
One of my YT subscriptions- Bedo’s Leatherworks. I find it highly relaxing to watch him tear apart well worn shoes (and other leather goods) and put them back together again. Very competent and skilled but also very humble about his talent. Interesting personal history too. Let’s continue!
You ever see the youtube channel of that crazy Japanese cobbler who makes like custom shoes at 10,000 dollars a pair?
I have not , and now I’m curious.
I find lawn care videos also satisfying. Picked up a couple things that have helped me in the yard.
I’m on my second shot of moonshine, but I’ll try to find it for you.
this guy
Nice. I’m glad there are people that can afford stuff like that so people like him can make fine things.
Thanks for taking time out of the drinking to find that. That is impressive.
Really, Gustave? Huh…I rather like his voice. I don’t think I’ve ever had an MRE, myself–I choose to live vicariously through him.
I was at a mass at my Catholic Elementary School when the first tower got hit. We went straight to our classroom after mass ended then my teacher put on the news for us the rest of the day. Had a hard time believing it was all real until President Bush went on TV.
Then your teacher pointed to him and said, “This fucking NAZI did this!” ?
Nah, it was the evening when I caught him on the tele.
I was in elementary school on 9/11 too.
Teaching.
Sex ed?
Sadly no.
Substitute teaching 4th or 5th grade.
I didn’t have a male teacher until 7th grade. WTF, matriarchy?
If only you were my teacher. Could’ve been taught of your ways from an earlier age.
Some are late bloomers. There is no shame in that.
“Snatch the anal beads from my hand…”
Proof that Festus IS trying to seduce me!
*Winks from the far side of the moon*
I was out at camp working so we didn’t know anything until we got back from the cut-block late in the afternoon. We turned on CNN and watched for hours. The lummoxes that were there wanted to watch something else and I remember saying pretty sharply “Don’t you stupid fucks know that this changes everything?”
Ok I’ll be the one to answer one of Digby’s questions.
I like to travel a lot. With toddlers though we’ve been more limited in distance because the one year old (understandably) can’t handle more than 2-3 waking hours in her car seat. When we do travel long distances I drive overnight.
We like to travel for natural attractions like bike trails and hikes. We’re going to 7 state parks in NC and VA over the next few weeks. Some of those will be day trips though.
I am a cheap bastard that hates people, so I try to travel during off seasons.
The grass is always greener on the other side
https://youtu.be/IqauKxS1GyE
Mmm! American steak! So good!
**blockquotes Sir Digby’s entire post* Huh?
Random thought
In August, I was back in my home town and went to the county fair. Team Blue and Team Red both had booths. Team Red was handing out pocket Constitutions and they decorated their booth with flags and various patriotic and pro-liberty quotes. The Team Blue booth just had pictures of candidates. I talked to the guy in charge and he only had 2 questions: are you a Democrat? Are you registered to vote? I said no and yes respectively. He gave me some pamphlets and I gave them to the workers at the Team Red booth. He was particularly proud to tout a candidate who was a woman of color.
The difference was stark. It reminded of the difference between the 2008 Team Blue Stage and the 2008 Team Red Stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtqtfXdR-c
Heh. Bill Whittle! I watch his videos from time to time. Nowadays he looks and acts like he missed the last comet out of Yuma…
I have met a few Glibs when I have been in North America. Each and every one have been great people and I enjoyed my time with them. I have a standing invite out for buying the first drink at the last real Tiki bar if any you make it out my way.
I haven’t met any of the current batch. I attended one TOS get-together a decade ago – but IIRC none of them are with us today.
I hung out with “Issac Bartram” from TOS at an Irish pub for a few hours. Nice guy,
We’ve liked every Glib we’ve met in person, so far.
Then there are the ones who have ditched us three times….
OK, that was just one. But he knows who he is.
You know that’s only because you wouldn’t let him set up his slot racing track on the dining room table, right?
OMG we had the most bitchin’ combo slot-racing/model train tableau in the basement when I was a kid. Back when [mom’s current boyfriend] showed more interest in us and less in smacking her around.
That sounds like A Hobson’s Choice situation except that you had no choice. What I mean to say is that it sounds hellish and I’m truly sorry that you had to live through bullshit like that, Friend.
Yeah, I had an interesting childhood. My mom did a good job making me forget most of it*. Mostly by finding the right guy by my JHS years, even if he (and his kids) did pass in and out of our lives for a few years before things settled down.
*I got drunk with an older bro recently and he told me a lot of things that I promptly forgot again. The mind really does work in mysterious ways.
+1 chaotic childhood. Commiserations, Rhywun.
I’ve met dbleagle in real life is San Diego, and Pope Jimbo, Tundra, and MikeS back in the Twin Cities.
All solid dudes.
Team blue is about to have their asses handed to them. Some know why. Most are oblivious. “How could Nixon win? No nobody I know voted for him.”
I don’t get it. Pajama Boy number one declares, outright, that he will take your guns. They’ve all agreed to destroy our domestic energy sector, socialize our medical care, and grant full citizenship to anybody who can make it over the border.
Somehow they expect to win enough independents to win the presidency and the senate. All predicated on a presumed universal agreement that Orange Man Bad.
Man, are they going to be upset.
The collective “RHHEEEEEE!” will be audible five hundred miles from the border and it will be delicious. On the gripping hand, if the Dems win I’ll just go about my business like any sane citizen would.
They are going for the Dem nomination. They will start spewing centrist sounding shit once the general election season starts. Some people will remember the crazy stuff being said now, but don’t underestimate the power of hatred of Trump. My odds are at 50/50.
I’m not going to jinx it by making any predictions.
Seriously, I think it’s a toss-up at this point.
Oh youtube- what did I do to deserve this? Besides the obvious I mean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98gyEQKpooc
Way to rip off Vonnegut. “Are you mating now?” Mmmmm early 70’s Valerie Perrine! That’s some hot 1970’s tamale!
On 9/10 I flew back from a meeting in Florida. On 9/11 I was at Ft Bragg waiting with a group of LTC’s to meet with out COL who was pissed about something. One of the NCOs mentioned that a plane had hit the WTC so we turned on the TV. It was confused and the TV was saying they “think it might have been an airliner” and we were speculating how somebody could have fucked up so bad. Then as we watched, a second plane flashed into view and we watched the explosion tear through the building. We got silent because we knew that this was an attack and not a fuck up and our lives would change. Then reports about the Pentagon started coming in.
The COL comes walking in and stops in front of the TV. “Gentlemen, the reason I called this meeting is OBE. As you can see we are at war. Prepare the command.” He walked out and we followed. Of us in that room all spent at least a year in combat and I was not alone with several years. Most of us were wounded to some extent and one later committed suicide because he felt he failed in Iraq.
Damn.
Yeah that is powerful stuff.
Godspeed dbleagle!
Gentlemen, the reason I called this meeting is OBE. As you can see we are at war.
I understand that is what a soldier would assume and respect the mentality. Still, is a terrorist act always an “act of war”?
Nice burn on the last article, Straff! I had it coming …
At the time, we didn’t know the perpetrators weren’t part of a foreign government
I still haven’t been able to answer than question. I’m sure the case(s?) winding their way through the courts will bring some clarity.
When it’s that successful, given our history, it’s hard to imagine that it’s not part of a concerted effort. Remember that prior to 9/11 the most similar event in terms of surprise and damage was Pearl Harbor. Here’s two of the same types of attacks carried out at the same time in different strategic locations with tremendous loss of life…the natural assumption is that this is a part of a larger attack or it’s a concerted attack by a foreign power.
Yeah, I’m certain there were some rather unsurprised Saudis on Sept 11.
Take something like the sarin gas attacks on the subway in 95. Could’ve killed a lot more if the circumstances and planning had been just a little better. The scope and damage of the attack itself wouldn’t justify claiming it’s an “act of war”. Conspiracy theories aside, it was possible to do the hijackings with box cutters and a handful of jihadists. Not saying their wasn’t a bigger plot at hand, but that possibility can’t be overlooked and just assume it’s a foreign power attacking the US.
Sure, but I’m talking about gut reaction and that sort of thing. It wasn’t an act of war because there wasn’t a state actor behind it. But in terms of magnitude, we’d never seen anything like this before. Or since, for that matter.
True and that is what Osama banked on. He wanted the reaction Dubya gave him.
For sure. And it’s not like Dub pushed that hard. For every guy in his early 20s I knew who was saying, “Well, let’s not be hasty” I knew four others who were like “Fuck this, let’s kill everyone who won’t eat pork”. Like I say, you didn’t have to sell anybody in my area on the war. I’m 23, I’ve got one friend sleeping in riot gear in the metro, I’ve got another being carted to an undisclosed location every day to work because nobody including him is cleared to know where it is, I’ve got an aunt who works a mile from the Pentagon, my girlfriend’s dad works in the Pentagon, shit, everything around me is bonkers because I live in the DC metro, and it’s all because a bunch of raghead Muslim terrorists hijacked a plane?! I don’t care if the president is Mahatma Gandhi, I’m ready to kill.
I had started working in Defense in Feb 2001 and was heading in for work slightly late that Tuesday Sept 11. I had the radio already tuned to a rock station that had two goofball DJs.. I was just putting the car in drive after backing out, and I stopped in the cup-de-sac when I realized it was the same ass clown DJs but they were talking about planes crashing into the towers.
I thought of the little Cessna that had crashed into the Empire State Building a few years earlier and thought “what a shame.”
But as I drove I heard enough to figure out that it was two huge jets. Then the pentagon was hit as I was listening. I got to work, looked st the guards, noticed they had sidearms for the first time I’d seen them:
I knew everything was different. People were watching CNN and giving word it mouth recaps of reports. I kept my head down and worked, feeling my cheeks burn. I knew this was the beginning of something horrible, and I even foresaw government power grabs and posing that did transpire:
I also realized that if I’d been in the South Tower when the North was hit, I would have obeyed the announcement in the South Tower that everyone should stay put and they weren’t in dange.
The early tuggings of libertarianism.
Jesus Christ that’s awful.
And then the company installed razor wire atop the chain link fence and we all had to update our Next of Kin info.
It was a 2 million square feet faculty that supplied most of the Navy’s big guns since WWII. At first we thought terrorists might attack or sabotage the place. Later we thought Cindy Sheehan types might cause trouble.
My morning drive included a bit of East River Road. Southbound, so I saw the Minneapolis skyscrapers every day. It took years for me to banish the vision of a fireball coming out of the IDS tower/
The local Army Reserve armory had jersey barricades placed. Later they replaced it with a reinforced fence that’s still there. 18 years later. There’s kids going to the university this year that were born after 9/11, and most don’t even remember it firsthand. Still seems like yesterday.
You used to be able to pretty much just stroll onto the Naval Academy grounds at will. There were gates and so forth but if there were guards they were pretty much just there to give you directions. My aunt used to go sit on the sea wall and read. We used to cut class in high school and go walk through the buildings and see what we could get into.
For a little while after 9/11 they put a machine gun emplacement at a few of the gates. They put up those concrete obstacles to keep vehicles from being able to drive straight in, I forget what they’re called. The most visible and obvious change for me after 9/11 was that the Academy went from being a college campus to a military base.
A friend of a friend was Air Force and did IT security stuff on Air Force One. He had a cherry job lined up for when he got out, contract already signed, condo in Miami, the works. His last day was supposed to be 9/12.
Did he re-enlist or somehow was compelled to stay?
They kept him for a few months under some emergency clause, but the company he’d signed with wanted him bad enough to hold the door open for him.
I’m a chickenshit so I ran away when I saw the 2nd plane smack into the south tower. I had walked to somewhere in Midtown when I heard one of the towers had collapsed and I couldn’t process it.
Fuck me. Who could?
That’s not chickenshit, that’s common sense.
Were you there? I did not know that. I can only imagine how insane that would be.
Yeah, I worked kitty-corner from the Occupy Wall Street park which is across the street from the WTC. I was late to work that day so I was hanging out finishing a ciggie when plane 2 hit.
Damn. I will now roll a cigarette. That day is burned into my memory and I only saw the second plane hit on the television. Fuck Ry, that is unreal.
If Sugarfree didn’t write this, then who?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MVhBbUmFSg
That seems more of an HM jam to me.
Kudos to you, Derpy, for doing the States tour. That was on my mind, in part, when I asked the question about vacays.
Yowza. So, I was getting ready for a shift at the Borders by where I lived. I was renting a room along with another friend from a third friend who’d just bought a townhouse in a new development off 301 in Bowie. In the DMV, the Pentagon was our WTC. What I mean is that if you live in this area you know at least one person who works for the federal government in some capacity. I had an aunt at the IG’s office of the USPS, our friend who owned the house was at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, I had an uncle who was a metro cop, and I actually had one friend who was an IT contractor who got the call not to come in while he was in the shower because his office was immediately under where the plane hit the Pentagon. I walked from my place to Borders, and it was a ghost town. The store was dark, but workers were in it. Someone drove past and complained that it wasn’t open–this being Bowie–and they were told where to go. I went in and was told that, basically, it was closed because there was a terrorist attack (of which I was unaware at the time) and it was kind of a thing. Everyone was waiting to either get picked up or get it together enough to leave. I went home and waited for news websites to load, then tried to call people. Not much happened along those lines, although I did get texts from people that they were OK. I loaded the Ruger 10/22 that was the only gun I had and waited to hear anything.
It was absolutely surreal. Future generations will rightly judge the generations who were alive and aware during 9/11 and wonder what the fuck we were thinking in the years following, and all I can say is that, as one of those people in their 20s when that happened, imagine if you were listening to the War of the Worlds broadcast and found out it was real, and it happened a half hour from your house, and your friends and family were there. There was a solid five years after the fact when I would have been fine with the US paving the Middle East and establishing a new Pax Romana no matter the cost in blood and treasure, including my blood.
Right. Vacation.
Like any good Marylander we go to the beach every summer. Usually Rehoboth, but Ocean City as well. I personally prefer Virginia Beach, but I get overruled. Every other year, if we can, we do either Christmas or Thanksgiving at my in-laws in east Texas. The odd years either they come up to us or we meet somewhere in the middle. My family used to have a beach house in Panama City Beach, but that’s long gone. Sad to say, at this point, the ideal vacation for me would be the house to myself for a week. Failing that, as I age I am more and more a mountain guy. Our extended family does a yearly camping trip at the end of November at Rocky Gap State Park, and I honestly have kind of a hard time coming back.
Had my bloodlust up, too. If I had known that the price would be the creation of homeland security, the patriot act and tens of billions of dollars to the national debt, I would’ve tempered the bloodlust against the cost. That’s not even to mention the deaths that occurred around the world in reaction to the attacks. In retrospect, making sturdy and locking cockpit doors and arming the pilots probably would have been the correct answer. If you wanted to blast Al Qaeda hangouts in Afghanistan, I wouldn’t have opposed that as long as they were limited.
Yeah the “Nation building” and “winning hearts and minds” was what has dragged this all out in the Middle East. We should have bombed Afghanistan indiscriminately with almost no risk to American servicemen in a one week fire fest and left the world certain that if you sow the wind with the US, you reap the whirlwind.
Maybe it’s hindsight talking but that was never gonna happen.
If the US had slaughtered a bunch of innocent muslims in addition to the Al Qaeda members, there most certainly would’ve been massive blow back.
What? Outraged Muslims take to the streets? Who cares? We just established that you don’t mess with Murica.
And the message to the folks who tolerate that element in their country got a clear message too.
Yeah. I’m still pissed.
Do NOT mess with Hayeks! If you value your….well, whichever part you value; just, don’t
/how’s that for a warning, eh?
Pisses me off still, too. Just didn’t like the word “indiscriminately”.
It does sound harsh but so is a sneak attack on innocent civilians.
Trying to have a decisive war victory without hurting anyone leads to more carnage.
I suppose we could have dropped leaflets announcing we are going to bomb the crap out of your country if you don’t round up AlQaeda and string them up yourselves.
Is that good bombing etiquette?
If the Bee made comedy videos, I can totally see that being a “primer” for aspiring SJW comics.
“When your audience is trapped in the Patriarchy, you need to be ready to confront their toxicity with these simple steps…”
Go ahead and bomb Al Qaeda camps. Don’t bomb goat farmers. IOW, don’t do it indiscriminately.
#4 will shock and amaze you…
I’ll be shocked. But, I refuse to be amazed!
Ugh, man. Yeah. For about two years I was ready to shoot anything with an accent. And then for a few years afterwards I was convincing myself that there was a really solid moral argument for an American empire if for no other reason than to eliminate radical Islam. I got into the recruiter’s office twice. The first time I backed out was when my grandmother told me that since I was the last male of our name our family would die with me, and she’d disown me if I joined up. The second time was when my now wife told me she’d leave me if I joined the military. I can’t help but wonder how I would’ve done. Honestly, I think I would’ve done pretty well with the military part. The combat part is a different story. I’ve known a few guys who’ve come back and none of them are quite right.
In my mind, then and now, attacking Afghanistan and taking out the government was fully justified. Punitive expedition is a viable concept. We should have installed the new government and told them, “Don’t let assholes attack us from your territory or we will come back and you won’t like that.” Then the military leaves and State works with the new gov for a few years. It is Afghanistan and you aren’t going to form a republic from a populace that doesn’t value it.
Attacking Iraq is an unforgivable strategic mistake. Bush the Elder was correct to end the Liberation of Kuwait when he did. As far as I can see the only winner in the Iraq War is Iran.
Amen to all of that.
No problem with violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty in response to 9/11. As you say, any attempt at trying to create a Jeffersonian democracy in that shithole was a lost cause. Gulf war 1 had a lot of shady stuff going on in the years leading up to it. Was listening to Scott Horton and he claims that the US gave the green light for Hussein to invade the Northern part of Kuwait, but that he got greedy and took the whole country. Then you go on to think about Rumsfeld and his interactions with Iraq during the Iran/Iraq war. Total clusterfuck.
Hear, hear. Traveling is so exhausting.
The key part is the rest of my family going somewhere else. Just a week of not having to get anything for anyone or find where someone left their phone is clutch. We do a week or so in the summer at the beach where the extended family rents a place at the beach and people sort of filter in as they can, and the unspoken agreement is that the husbands who’ve married in, such as myself, don’t have to show up for more than a day or two. We drop them off and let them bicker amongst themselves for a week, then dip in for a day or two to make an appearance. This is a longstanding tradition, which tells me that a.) it’s a genetic thing, and b.) I’m not the first one to think it might not be a bad deal to drop the family off two hours away.
The kids moved away years ago and I don’t miss the busy mess. Leave me alone and you’ll have a content Festus.
Daughters are all in their thirties now but get them together for more than a day or two and its bedlam. My brother and I are like two cats on a clothesline after a week or so. Lotsa laughs to start and then recriminations steadily building into fisticuffs. Did I mention that my family is basically a super nova?
My wife’s mother and aunt, two women in their 60s, STILL fight like sisters who share a room. It’s a stereotypical Irish Catholic family: a ton of siblings who love to break each other’s balls but can’t stand to be apart for more than a day. It’s insane, but it’s better than my family: a bunch of psychopaths who can’t be in the same room together but would conspire to murder anyone who crossed anyone with the same last name.
*thousand yard stare*
Fine, Festus–YOU WIN!!
Let me get some mouthwash first…
On second though, YOU get the mouthwash.
I’m not sure what angle you’re playing here but I must admit that I’m intrigued and a little aroused… Mouthwash comes after the bob, not before, Rookie!
Depends on the desired result(s).
/old dog; new tricks
God, man, now I’m thinking about this again. I swear to God, if you think about the scenes from 28 Days Later when he walks out into London and there’s nobody there, that was what it was like. There was just nobody on the roads, nobody walking around, nothing. It was spooky.
I was in 8th grade when 9/11 happened. The first thing I heard was when I was in the lunch line and a girl said to me, “The Pentagon is, like, on fire or something.” In every class for the rest of the day, I had heard that there was some national security emergency, but really no details. I only found out about the scope of it when I came home from school and found my mom already home (who was an employee at a federal court here in Ohio and got evacuated out of work). She was crying and saying “nothing like this has ever happened before”. We spent the rest of the day watching news coverage.
A friend of mine told me that they said in his math class “the Twin Towers are burning” and he (being an 8th grade boy) blurted out, “Aw, cool!” and the teacher snapped at him, “NO! Not cool!” He only realized the scope of the disaster when he got home and saw the death toll on the news and immediately felt bad.
“The Pentagon’s on fuckin’ fire?”
Yeah, the way the hits kept on coming that morning was unreal. One plane strikes WTC. Ok. Then another. Then an attack on the Pentagon. Then a fourth plane crashing. Interspersed with rumors, often wildly false in hindsight. Just didn’t know what was next.
The other night I was reading again about 9/11. As I suspected when it happened, none of those who should have known and prevented it, faced any repercussions. There were no firings, resignations in disgrace etc, from the massive intelligence, military, and sundry government failure like no other. Instead of that, there were promotions. It could only have been foreseen by those who have some glib.
That should’ve been a reply to Akira.
What drives me crazy about it is you get the 9/11 Commission Report, which basically says, “Stovepiping. It’s bad.” and then they make a new cabinet position with an entirely new agency that oversees pretty much everything and does absolutely jack shit about the stovepipe issue. They blame it on legal restrictions that are supposed to protect civil liberties, and then they pass the PATRIOT act, which shits all over said liberties without solving the initial problem.
We had a massive military defense and intelligence failure. Of course the preferred solution is to throw more money at it. We also stomped on liberty, which sucks. At the time, and now, I feel that we are only one attack away from really losing liberty.
Well the most powerful force in the world is the momentum of bureaucracy. I see this on a different level every day. I guarantee what happened was a bunch of really serious, smart, well-meaning people got together and decided that they should have a meeting to make a committee to decide what sort of task force they should create to address this issue, and then the next thing you know you’ve got the TSA.
Hey, don’t diss security measures, Man! They put bread in our mouths! J/k Wifey works airport security and makes about twice what I do but it’s farcical.
I was in my college dorm room on April 19, 1995 getting ready for microwave field theory class when I heard my windows rattle. I thought it odd because we never had sonic booms in Stillwater OK.
I went to class and the professor came in a little late, stood behind the lectern, sighed, and told us there had been an explosion in OKC and class was dismissed.
Only later did we learn that one of the students in that class lost his father in the bombing that day.
A year later; a few amputee students were on campus, and I learned that while some were Desert Storm casualties, many were OKC bombing casualties who had free ride scholarship to OSU made possible by an anonymous donor/
Pretty sure we know who that donor was/
Damn. That’s just….damn.
Yeah, a relatively local and comparatively small event compared to 9/11 but it stunned Oklahoma, land of sweet tea and hospitality.
Lots of students with cancelled classes went to the blood bank just off campus. Line ran all around the block.
After a while the prescreeners told everyone who wasn’t type O away. I got to stay.
Tragically there was a similar donation urge in New York after 9/11 but the donor centers had to announce that they had plenty, but that almost none was used for the Tower folks because you pretty much made it out walking or perished.
The method used by LE to capture McVeigh through his license plate is still a part of the curriculum in learning about the various LE databases, and how searches can be conducted. It’s still relevant in ways others won’t know about.
I’d like to hear more about that sometime.
The first moment of unintentional levity that day was when the governor made a brief statement to the press ending with “we are going to find the perpetrators, give them a fair trial, and then we’re gonna execute ‘em.”
Long of the short, he had been stopped by an officer just after the bombing, while he was still just another face. As the investigators were putting the pieces together, they had a partial plate.
States/the FBI can search message logs with partial information, and doing that, they saw the traffic stop from the local PD (or, Sheriff?). Went to them, and followed through on it.
Doing a manual search like that isn’t something I have any experience with, but, I know, for the most part, how to get the ball rolling.
I knew they pulled him over when he was Kansas bound on I35 but I didn’t know how it came together.
When my bro had just about convinced me that the death penalty shouldn’t exist, I woke up to the headline saying McVeigh had been executed. I said aloud “Good.”
I knew I was not unite there yet.
::nods in agreement::
Wow. The lady with the big ba-zooms sure has been close to some big ka-booms! That sucks, Hayek. I wish there weren’t so much evil in this world. They can have my blood (O-) but the patients might feel a little woozy.
::nods in agreement::
I was also in Washington DC when that 5,3 earthquake hit. We had just landed and the plane started shaking violently. I wondered what the hell was being rammed into the plane!!
Then we went down the jet bridge and saw the TV. I saw the faces of the folks watching and could see that they had feared DC was under attack again.
I hot-footed it to the taxi stand, accurately foreseeing the chaos that would surely ensue.
Shit, am I that Mayhem guy from the insurance commercials??!?
Hayeks, you have the makings of one helluva memoir.
Let me be the first* to say Thank God you made it out safely all of those times.
*I’m calling it
Why thank you. I also missed the May 1999 Moore Ok F5 tornado (that had such unprecedented wind speed the weather service had to decide whether to add F6 or expand the speed range of the F5)
As my dad drove me the next day to Will Rogers airport, we saw debris everywhere. From the plane I saw the wife brown path of matchsticks that were once houses. The tornado was a mile wide and stayed on the ground for an hour, very rare.
Good Lord, Hayeks!
OK, I’m calling Dibs for being next to her for any and all future disasters.
And I’m one of 10% of people who can ride comfortably in a Stryker combat vehicle for hours without puking.
So we’d be all set for anything!
10%, eh?
/almost sounds like a challange
“Wide” path.
I have to say: I did not expect 9/11 to be the main topic tonight! What with vacations, and friends, and weird news…
I didn’t want to deal with it on Wednesday. Too many memes and “inside job” nuts.
But I’m letting it out now.
Oh, by all means. I wrote this a few days ago, and almost forgot what I had down. That we have people either directly involved militarily or tangentially, or, in any capacity sometimes gets shuffled to the back of the brain.
My oldest was 2 months from being born when 9/11 happened. He is going to get all the major newspapers when he turns 18 in a couple months that his uncle saved from that day.
Never thought he could fight the same war i joined up for…
Yeesh!
How many years since the founding has the US not been at war?
War? Or, “war” war?
Good answer.
However you wanna splice it. Fully realize that where I live is under the protection of the US, but it is an eye opening experience to live in a country that basically keeps out of all foreign conflicts. The entire attitude towards war is completely different . Well placed nukings will do that.
So Straff spanks his child. j/k
Well, it seems that the concept of “needs and ass-kicking” is still going strong these days. Whether meritted or not.
The age of the nuke has changed everything. Now we blast the fuck out proxies because the big boys would ruin us in return.
Declared wars only, or police actions and “overseas contingency” stuff too?
Cold War? ( submarine and spy casualties are staggering)
Just for fun, let’s say military actions that lead to more than 100 deaths a year directly from hostilities.
This will be something of a homework assignment,but one that needs to be done.
I did determine that once and the number was depressing. Once you add in the Indian Wars which were pretty much continuous until 1886 and the small largely forgotten brouhaha’s like China, Philippine insurrection(s), Punitive Expedition, Greek Civil War, various Caribbean, Lebanon (1 &2), Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Eldorado Canyon (Libya) and pre (Berlin Disco) and post (Lockerbie) attacks etc etc it fills up a calendar pretty much. That doesn’t include various Special Forces missions supporting various governments- “Say Queso for the camera Che!”
Yep!
Shout out to my homie, Chafed, who is burnin’ and earnin’.
And, to all the other glibs who just flat-out don’t know what they’re missing. Or, do, and are quietly snickering at us behind our backs.
My Mom says I’m cool!
That reminds me: I really need to get a “My other car is your mom” bumper sticker.
To TPTB: Is there any possibility of setting up a Redbubble store, like CPRM has? Just…you know, interested in seeing that happen.
I am considering putting my NRA sticker on the rear window of my Tesla to see how many Californians’ heads will explode.
That link was meant for you, btw.
Ha!
Scene from a California highway
Dammit…once again, I fail at replying
Anybody figure out Newcomb’s paradox? Giving me a headache and making me feel dumb.
There is a predictor, a player, and two boxes designated A and B. The player is given a choice between taking only box B, or taking both boxes A and B. The player knows the following:[4]
Box A is clear, and always contains a visible $1,000.
Box B is opaque, and its content has already been set by the predictor:
If the predictor has predicted the player will take both boxes A and B, then box B contains nothing.
If the predictor has predicted that the player will take only box B, then box B contains $1,000,000.
The player does not know what the predictor predicted or what box B contains while making their choice.
Too tipsy for mind games. Howzabout a nice, wholesome game of “Jarts” in the back yard? Stand a little closer to the burn-barrel… Perfect! I go first!
“Jarts”? Is that some sort of “special game”?
Cut-Rate lawn darts. Jeez, do you guys EVEN white trash?
If you only knew
Howzabout some tongue jarts?
Now you’re just frightening me, Mr. Digby! It was nice watching your kids and all but I’d really like to go home now…
If the predictor has already made the prediction it doesn’t matter what the player does, Box B is set it’s either empty or full, take both, the player has nothing to lose.
Huh. So many witty and provocative quips and hardly any links. This is unheard of! *murmur murmur murmur*
Festus at his computer late at night. Alone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs6iMer68co
Funny! Actually I was the kid that was cool enough to defend the dweebs and not get my ass kicked by the loogins because we played on the same sportsball teams. A chameleon, if you will.
lounge lizard CONFIRMED
Funny? Funny?! Aldo Nova made the best videos that ever graced MTV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4PNN8KNfgE
I don’t think I can refute this
Sorry. Not gay enough – https://youtu.be/fR0j7sModCI
Ha! Just when I thought that couldn’t get any worse, he slips into that pink muscle shirt. Actual LOL.
“How to torpedo your career in one easy step!” Billy Squire was sort of a big deal until the unfortunate video aired.
Oh, man–that’s so queer!
::quickly kicks laundry under bed::
Into the dust bunnies and crusty sox, right?
An alias for CJ, huh?
Also, don’t be fatuous, Jeffrey. Paper towels suffice.
Legit stifled laughter.
The Bounty Man looks down on your laughter!
This would be me (minus the spandex) in about 12 hours. “Alka Seltzer take good care of me! It’s all over ‘cept the hangover..” https://youtu.be/Z9PsBJt92eY
You’re about to put on a rock concert?
No. Crack another beer and keep communicating virtually with you miscreants. “I’ll do some work Tomorrow, because Tomorrow is another Daaaaaaaaay!”
As I understand it, crack and beer are an awful combo. Maybe….meth and White Claws
/ducks and runs
All bad. *another thousand yard stare*
That reminds me–I have fresh beer!
“The door’s open and stairs are steep! The room is near but ever so far, the lights are on but so are the stars!”
Late-nite Glibs has turned into a triangular jerk. Where are you Hayek? Stop us from gaying again!
I wouldn’t be surprised if her back limited her availability. After all those close calls–to get a back injury from a seizure….
Still–amazing woman, and I agree with your “ASSessment”
I was the first on the board and will probably be the last.
You dudes are persistent, I’ll give you that.
We are?
Yay!
Psychic? Surveillance equipment?
What do you think, Festus?
Government contractor. High security clearance level. Not to be fucked with? Maybe just a good sport?
Granted, on both.
So, surveillance?
Pictures cross-hairs over Casa Festus…
oh, snap!
It’s nearly time to crank open a generic can of “food” and get my mandated hours of “sleep”. Those toes won’t touch themselves in the morning!
Remember: I’m here until mid-morning. I gotta get back in my schedule, too.
So, nice try–you ain’t getting rid of me that easily.
And we wouldn’t have it any other way, O Nringer of Night Shift Lynx.
Bringers.
Awww…::blushes::
You glibs!
*Gives Digby a hearty slap on the back and cowers*
Cowers? My man Festus???
Get over here, ya big fruit!
Hugs for Festus!!
I’d outrun you ya big galoot but my knees are shot.
I promise, I won’t tell STEVE SMITH
I’ll be a good hider! The best!
Don’t think I’ll be up long . Just happened to awake briefly
Well, here’s to good sleep when it finds you.
Indeed! I don’t think that I’ve had more than an hour or two uninterrupted for about twenty years. Stupid brain won’t shut up and now my prostate gland has decided to get all “Middle-aged Man” on me. Sure is fun to get up five times a night to trickle piss.
Dick Trickle’s HS nickname?
I’m certain that he had plenty. You know how cruel We, I mean Junior High School boys can be…
Oooh…that beer is really moreish.
I just cracked my last one and it’s like “No Mas, No Mas”.
I hear that! Enjoy the morning time, Festus. Hope to see ya on tonight.
Looks like I’m gonna have to get some more vidya gamin’ in.
Goodnight you Naked Intruder! Stay safe and stay chilly! I’m off to the Land of Nod.
First and last, just like the old Gypsy woman foretold…