Showing posts with label helicopters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label helicopters. Show all posts

Monday, February 3, 2025

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Tariffs Touch off Trade War

But First, new information on the airliner/helicopter collision over the Potomac River near Washington D.C. is becoming scarcer, while the political recriminations continue. At Reuters, Soldier identified in DC plane crash, data shows helicopter may have been too high.

Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have determined the CRJ700 airplane was at 325 feet (91 meters), plus or minus 25 feet, at the time of impact, officials said at a Saturday evening news briefing. The information was based on data recovered from the jet's flight data recorder - the "black box" that tracks the aircraft's movements, speed and other parameters.

The new detail suggests the Army helicopter was flying above 200 feet (61 meters), the maximum altitude for the route it was using. Preliminary data indicates the control tower's radar showed the helicopter at 200 feet at the time of the accident, though officials said the information has not been confirmed. "That's what our job is, to figure that out," NTSB board member Todd Inman told reporters when asked what could explain the discrepancy.

Althouse, "At the request of and in coordination with the family, the Army is releasing the name of the third Soldier who died while performing a training mission near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29." Charlie Martin at PJM, Accidents Happen No Matter How Hard We Try. Yep, people and machines are fallible. At some point you have to chose between convenience, costs and safety. Twitchy wants you to WATCH: Sean Duffy Absolutely Torches Jake Tapper on DEI and the FAA. Matt Margolis, Sean Duffy Destroys Jake Tapper Over DEI Practices Hurting Air Safety. Fox Business, Donald Trump has stopped America’s DEI ‘scandal,’ JD Vance says in exclusive interview. "'There is a very direct connection between the policies of the last administration and short-staffed air traffic controllers,' the vice president stated." Sarah Arnold at TownHall, Lloyd Austin’s Ex-Chief of Staff Attacks Pete Hegseth Over Plane Crash. Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok, "Lloyd Austin’s Chief of staff Kelly Magsamen is attacking Pete Hegseth for his handling of the helicopter crash. Kelly covered up for Austin when he was secretly hospitalized. She also helped him oversee the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal which left 13 U.S. military members dead. She should not be taken seriously."

Sundance at CTH thinks Two Weeks into Term Two and Things Look Awesome "A quick review and a little warning of sorts, in a good way," and posts President Trump Holding an Impromptu Presser at Joint Base Andrews. At Hat Hair Salena Zito says Trump's Visit to North Carolina Means More Than Many Understand.

Thad McCotter at Chronicles, Trump Pulls the Rip Cords on the Administrative State. No, he pushed them out the door of the airplane.Bob Hoge at RedState, USAID Officials Lock DOGE Out of the Building, Trump Delivers the 'Find Out' Response. Eric Daugherty@EricLDaugh, "We elected Donald Trump, who ran on giving Elon Musk the ability to slash government waste. So, no - we DID vote for this. Trump didn’t keep this a secret." Quote. "Elizabeth Warren@SenWarren, "No one elected Elon Musk. As Donald Trump allows Musk to access people’s personal information and shut down government funding, Republicans in Washington will also own the consequences. We must do everything in our power to push back and protect people from harm. . . " Matt Whitlock @mattdizwhitlock "Nobody elected the staff that operated Joe Biden like an animatronic puppet for the last 4 years while he wrecked the country so i'm not sure the "nobody elected Elon" criticism really has legs." NY Sun, Trump Signs Four Executive Orders in Campaign To Eliminate ‘Gender Ideology’ and Protect Women’s Rights, "‘It’s a women’s rights issue.’ a senior legal adviser for Independent Women’s Law Center says."  'Bonchie' at RedState, WATCH: Margaret Brennan Gets Laid Out by Brian Mast After Demanding 'Evidence' of State Department DEI. "MAST: Sure. Let's list them off. Half a million dollars to expand atheism in Nepal. $50,000 to do, let's see, a transgender opera in Columbia. $47,000 dollars to do an LGBTQ trans comic book in Peru. $20,000 a pop to do drag shows in Ecuador. Shall I continue with more examples of where DEI was the priority?" Shawn Fleetwood at Da Fed sees the Pentagon Scraps Biden-Era Policy Subsidizing Travel Expenses For Employee Abortions. WSJ opines Democratic States Are Wards of Washington, "There’s a reason for the panic over the Trump White House’s temporary federal spending pause." Don Surber scorches Meg Nooner, True Conservative. Amy Curtis@RantyAmyCurtis, "The week he left office, Joe Biden tried to unilaterally amend the constitution. Fuck off about norms and laws." Quote Los Angeles Times@latimes "Trump cuts chaotic path in first weeks, bucking laws and norms in pursuit of promised agenda https://latimes.com/politics/story"

Fox Business, Trump imposes tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China: 'National emergency,' "The tariffs will range from 10% to 25%." then Canada, Mexico announce retaliatory tariffs on US imports in response to Trump's tariffs on American neighbors. CPA, CPA Praises Trump Administration’s Universal Tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China.  Benny Johnson@bennyjohnson, "Immediately following Trump's tariff announcement, the value of both the Canadian dollar and the Mexican peso are in freefall. Don’t mess with the United States of America." AP, Trump tariffs on Mexico and Canada could land this weekend. Here are some goods in the crosshairs. Nick Arama at RedState, Greg Abbott Demolishes Justin Trudeau After He Steps in It Even Worse on Tariffs. Greg Abbott@GregAbbott_TX, Careful Trudeau. The Texas economy is larger than Canada’s. And we’re not afraid to use it." Quote Nick Sortor@nicksortor, " JUST IN: Canada is planning to target REPUBLICAN states in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs, per NYT Bring it, Justin Trudeau. You’re about to learn the definition of FAFO." At Twitcy, Justine Bateman's Response to B.C. Premier Blocking Sale of American Booze from Red States is PERFECTION: Justine Bateman@JustineBateman, "LOL." Quote Republicans against Trump@RpsAgainstTrump, "JUST IN: B.C. Premier David Eby says he directed B.C. Liquor sales to immediately stop buying American liquor from red states and remove the highest-selling brands from those states from the shelves of the province’s liquor stores." Althouse, "We pay hundreds of Billions of Dollars to SUBSIDIZE Canada. Why? There is no reason. We don’t need anything they have." ""We have unlimited Energy, should make our own Cars, and have more Lumber than we can ever use. Without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country. Harsh but true! Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada — AND NO TARIFFS!" Writes President Trump, at Truth Social." Eric Daugherty@EricLDaugh, " NEW: The CEO of the 2nd largest company in Canada has come out in DEFENSE of Trump's tariffs on Canada. "Win by helping America win. Trump believes that Canada has not held its side of the bargain." - Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify." ET, Trump Promises Tariffs on European Union. At Insty, TARIFFS ARE ONLY STUPID AND DESTRUCTIVE WHEN AMERICA IMPOSES THEM. Jon Lech Johansen @jonlech, "Amusing to read the coverage of Trump's "sky-high" tariffs in Norwegian news. Here's just a few of Norway's import tariffs: Cheese: 277% Beef: 344% Lamb: 429% Milk: 443% Potatoes: 191% Beets: 158% Roses: 249% Baker's yeast: 21% Casein-based glue: 21.2% Women's tops: 10.7%"

Althouse, "During remarks to employees at the American Embassy in Panama City, Mr. Rubio, the son of Cuban migrants, joked..." "... that he’d told aides that he wanted to pay his first visit 'to a place where they speak Spanish, because I’m bilingual,' proceeding to show off his fluency in the language. . . " Ben Smith at LI, Panama Backs Out of China’s Silk Road Agreement. "This decision came as Senator Marco Rubio visited Panama to discuss key issues like the Panama Canal’s operations and migration through the Darien Gap, a critical transit point for migrants heading to the U.S." Benny Johnson@bennyjohnson, "BREAKING: Panama's President has ended the country's Panama Canal deal with China, immediately following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Are we tired of winning yet?" Corinne Clark Barron at Am Great, The Art of the Smackdown! How Trump Turned the Tables on Colombia, "Who’s in charge? We are!" At The Bureau, Drug Routes, Spy Stations, Narco-Terror, Hezbollah, Hamas: Why Reinstating Cuba’s Terror Sponsor Label Is Correct "Had Biden’s executive order remained in place, it would have undermined U.S. national security and emboldened dictators worldwide."


NYPo, Kristi Noem stops taxpayer money from funding illegal migrant flood. "How US taxpayers funded the largest illegal migration in history." At OTP, Watch Video: DHS Secretary Noem Patrols Southern US Border On Horseback and ‘Shocked’ Noem Visits US Borders, Vows To Give Agents Necessities Biden Didn't Give Them. Sarah Arnold at TownHall, Mexican Cartels Intensify Fight Against Trump's Border Policies. Breitbart, Threats to Murder ICE Agents Spread on Social Media After Deportations Begin. At Hat Hair, Sexual Assault Arrest Leads to ICE Raid at Madison (MS) Restaurant and Last Night: Pro-Mexican Protestors Turn Rioters in National City and Vista CA. At Da Caller, Bishop Says Catholic Teaching Does Not Support ‘Open Border Policy.’  Althouse finds "An honour to have my IQ questioned by you Mr VP. But your attempts to speak for Christ are false and dangerous." "Nowhere does Jesus suggest that love is to be prioritised in concentric circles. His love is universal." Said Rory Stewart, a podcaster, quoted in "JD Vance says Rory Stewart has ‘low IQ’ in Christian values clash/The US vice-president copies Trump’s playbook with response to the former minister’s claims that his rhetoric was ‘false and dangerous'" (London Times). Vance's original statement was: "There’s this old school — and I think it’s a very Christian concept by the way — that you love your family and then you love your neighbour, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that, you can focus and prioritise the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that."  John Kass, Protecting Illegal Migrants Against America: Pritzker the Fool and His Brother Brandon. Freddie DeBoer, As a Big Fan of Immigration, I Recognize the Utility of Assimilation, "liberals are disarmed in their defenses of immigration because they cannot admit that past examples of successful immigration have involved migrants conforming to their new culture." Driscoll at Insty, Whatever your thoughts on assimilation, these videos are certainly not it . . . Jonathan Turley atop Da Hill is Spoiling for a fight: Why challenging birthright citizenship is a win-win for Trump. "Even if the administration loses before the Supreme Court, it will force Democrats again to fight against a tougher stance on immigration issues. Democrats maintained that position in the last election despite polling showing that 83 percent of Americans support deportations of immigrants with violent criminal records and almost half support mass deportation of all undocumented persons." WokeSpy, White House Updates Official Website with Brutal Message Sending Liberals into Meltdown, "The Spanish-language version of the White House website was taken offline this week, with users being met with a “Page Not Found” error and a button labeled “Go Home.”" The Go Home button went to the home page, but whatever. 
Shipwreckedcrew, looks at The Scorecard After the Friday Night Massacre -- Who Still Works At DOJ And the FBI? "Pretty much everyone who worked there on Thursday although the Outrage Porn Peddlers would have you thinking otherwise." CJ explains How Kash Patel Can Fix the FBI, "A former agent addresses President Trump’s nominee to lead the bureau." Bonchie@bonchieredstate, "So 51 intelligence officials signed a letter claiming the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation, and they did so not because they had actual evidence but because they wanted to help get Joe Biden elected. That...seems like an issue." Quote  George Papadopoulos@GeorgePapa19, "JUST IN: A leaked email from John Brennan verifies that the 51 intelligence agents that endorsed the Hunter Biden laptop letter did it with the specific intent of enabling Biden to mislead the American public during his election campaign." 




Is David Hogg a Nazi?
Twitchy, Like White on Vice: DNC Ditches DEI by Electing David Hogg to Number Two Party Chair and Good Luck, Democrats! Here's a Reminder New DNC Vice Chair Hogg Was Once HUMILIATED in Gun Control Debate. At Hat Hair, Dems Will Wander in the Wilderness Even Longer. Rod D. Martin @RodDMartin, "Meet the new DNC Vice Chairman, David Hogg. The Democrats have learned literally nothing from 2024. Nothing at all." Sarah at Insty, NO, IT SHOWS THEY’RE DOUBLING DOWN ON INSANITY: Does the DNC’s Election of New Chairman, Vice Chairmen Show the Party Is Still in Disarray? Althouse, "We have no coherent message. This guy is psychotic, and there’s so much, but everything that underlines it is white supremacy and hate." ""There needs to be a message that is clear on at least the underlying thing that comes with all of this." Said Representative Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas, quoted in "'We Have No Coherent Message': Democrats Struggle to Oppose Trump/More than 50 interviews with Democratic leaders revealed a party struggling to decide what it believes in, what issues to prioritize and how to confront an aggressive right-wing administration" (NYT)."


Jonathan Turley at Fox, says End NPR's taxpayer-funded gravy train. "At least half the country disagrees with its obvious political bias." Marc Andreessen@pmarca "This really does deserve to be cast in solid platinum and hung in the Smithsonian." Tim Graham, Will Trump 'Derangement' Keep Damaging Trust in Media? Yes. At Town Hall Matt Vespa sees Donald Trump Is Really Making CBS Sweat Over Kamala's '60 Minutes' Interview and The Liberal Media Is Going to Throw a Fit Over These Changes at the Press Briefings. Letting the "New Media" in on the action. Spiked takes on The Mean Girls of liberal media "A New York magazine hit-piece on the alleged ‘cruelty’ of Trump supporters has backfired spectacularly." Insty at his substack looks forward to The Coming "Symbolic Analyst" Meltdown. "When AI eats your job, and you're a professional complainer."


Michael Shellenberger@shellenberger, "The first duty of civilization is to protect children from predators. Ours celebrated medical predators as liberators, and condemned resisters as bigots. Teachers, medical groups, and Hollywood conspired to permanently disfigure children in the name of addressing their "trauma."" Leading Report@LeadingReport, "BREAKING: 79% of Americans say that biological men should not compete in women’s sports, according to an NYT/Ipsos survey." Twitchy, The Stupid, It Burns! Feminists Who Want to Educate White Men Can't Answer THIS Simple Question (Watch)
/2025-02-02/trump-first-two-weeks-chaotic-path
Hat Hair's Duane Patterson features the Top Ten Dumb Things Said...Friday, 01/31. This could fit almost anywhere. 

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Return to Mediocrity up and running at The Other McCain.
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Sunday, February 2, 2025

Flotsam and Jetsam - Air Disasters Updates, Trump Storms Washington DC

While the tragedy value of the recent plane crashes has not diminished in any way, the news value has decreased sharply as the NTSB begins the agonizingly slow process of attempting to put together all the pieces (literally and figuratively) to figure out why they occurred. Meanwhile, at TownHall, Matt Vespa reveals that the Army Releases Name of the Female Black Hawk Helicopter Pilot in Reagan Air Disaster. Matt Margolis at PJM, Female Pilot on Doomed Black Hawk ID'd, Was Former Biden White House Aide, "Lobach also served as a White House social aide during the Biden administration, Brown said. Just last month, she escorted Ralph Lauren through the White House when he was among those awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Joe Biden." Not going to say it. Althouse, "'I was so distraught when I heard this news last night,' said Senator Tim Kaine... who for years has opposed adding flights at Reagan..." ""... and warned of the dangers posed by overcrowding the D.C. airspace. 'I will not be able to rewatch the speech I gave on the Senate floor about it because it would make me too upset.'" . . . From "Congress Approved More Flights at Reagan Despite Warnings of Danger/Lawmakers repeatedly added flights despite fears of delays and accidents" (NYT)(Congress has repeatedly voted to increase the number of daily flights at Reagan National Airport, adding departures that made life more convenient for lawmakers...)." He doesn't have to fly home after sessions of Congress. Insurrection Barbie @DefiyantlyFree, "1 year ago 11 Republican Attorneys General wrote a letter to the Biden administration, expressing their frustration with the new DEI practices affecting the Federal Aviation Administration. Nothing was ever done about their concerns by the Biden administration." TNP, Defense Sec Hegseth Backs Trump on DEI Following D.C. Air Disaster. RedState's Nick Arama sees Bill Maher Come to Trump's Defense on DCA Crash, Decimates Biden on Border, and How Broken Our Gov't Is and Sister Toldja remembers How Patty Murray Accidentally Helped Expose the Dangers of DEI Within the FAA Back in 2014. And, of course, Sarah Arnold at TownHall hears a Far-Left Squad Member Blames Trump for DC Plane Crash. And a totally bizarre one from the Philadelphia crash at Crankers, Chilling audio reveals Air Traffic Control trying to reach plane before Philadelphia crash, listen closely at 56 seconds.

At the Annapolis Cap Gaz, Federal workers have less than a week left to take Trump’s buyout. Maryland leaders are warning against it. "U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, went a step further during a speech on the Senate floor. “Don’t be fooled. He’s tricked hundreds of people with that offer,” Kaine said, referring to longtime reports that Trump sometimes refused to pay contractors who worked for his real estate company. “If you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you just like he stiffed the contractors. He doesn’t have any authority to do this.”" But ET reports Large Number of Federal Workers Taking Buyout Offer, White House Official Says "Millions of federal workers received deferred resignation offers in a memorandum distributed on Jan. 28." Capt. K's Corner, Census Director Abruptly Resigns: 3 Reasons Why This is Massive News. Remember, the census recently undercounted Red States, resulting in about a 12-13 swing in the House of Reps and Electoral College. 'Bonchie' at RedState, Trump-Subverting GSA Surrenders, and You Won't Believe Some of the Insane Stuff Being Deleted. At WUWT, “Draining the Swamp of Climate Hysteria: Trump’s USDA Scrubs Climate Change from Public Websites”. Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck "USAID essentially functions as one of many money laundering machines for Democrats in DC. Here’s how it works: • Activists create obscure NGO • Dems fund it lavishly • NGO does bare minimum (or actively hurts the United States) • Activists get paid and donate to Dems . . . That’s why Democrats are freaking out about the possibility that USAID’s being shut down by President Trump. It needs to be done." Latin Times, DHS Ends Funding Of NGOs Aiding Migrants, Says They 'Abused' Grants To 'Facilitate Illegal Immigration', ""We are not spending another dime to help the destruction of the U.S.," said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during an appearance on Fox News." Ward Clark at RedState, Pro-Illegal Alien Legal Aid Groups Sue After the Trump Admin. Ends Federal Gravy Train. Insty, "Actually, as many NGO flunkies and government bureaucrats lose their jobs in the coming months, it’s wise to remember Eric Hoffer’s words: “Nothing is so unsettling to a social order as the presence of a mass of scribes without suitable employment and an acknowledged status.” There needs to be a plan, as their response is likely to be drastic, and possibly dangerous." Maybe Homan can leave some room at Gitmo? Thomas Massie@RepThomasMassie, "I just reintroduced H.R. 899, a one sentence bill to TERMINATE the federal department of education and return power back to teachers and parents. This is it, the entire bill:" Short and to the point. Stephen Moore at Hat Hair has A Smart Way to Pay for the Trump Tax Cut: Auction Federal Assets. Buildings, land, old furniture and office equipment. I once visited the government surplus warehouse in Springfield VA. It's like the warehouse at the end of Indiana Jones I where they stuck the Ark of the Covenant. 

Scott Adams@ScottAdamsSays "We are entering the "WTF" discovery phase of DOGE." Quote Elon Musk@elonmusk, "The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups. They literally never denied a payment in their entire career . . ." Off The Press @OffThePress1, "JUST IN: The federal government has saved over $1 BILLION by ending DEI-related contracts, according to a new breakdown released by @DOGE. That includes a staggering $228 million at USAID and $110 million at the Department of Agriculture." Da Wire, ‘Triggered’ No More: Federal Tech Arm Deletes ‘Inclusion Bot’ After Musk Takeover. "Federal office overrun by "they/thems" surrenders after resisting in Trump's first term." Luke Rosiak@lukerosiak, "DELETED: GSA's tech arm, a far-left agency that viciously subverted Trump during his first term, surrendered after an @elonmusk deputy took over. It deleted huge swaths of code dedicated to virtue-signaling rather than mission, such as its "inclusion bot" that lectured staff." Twitchy, DOGE Locks Out OPM Officials by Changing Their Passwords Ian Miles Cheong@stillgray "Incredible. DOGE has take command of the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and changed all the passwords of every employee who has been working from home. These employees have lost all access to personnel databases and are no longer in control. This is the reckoning." Department of Government Efficiency@DOGE "This is the split of administrators vs. teaching staff at the top 25 endowed universities. We are investing in bureaucracy over actual education. Source: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacent" At Althouse, "Mr. Musk, who has been given wide latitude by President Trump to find ways to slash government spending, has recently fixated..." ""... on Treasury’s payment processes, criticizing the department in a social media post on Saturday for not rejecting more payments as fraudulent or improper. It is not clear whether the team led by Mr. Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, has blocked any payments since gaining access to the system." From "Elon Musk’s team has gotten access to the Treasury Department’s payments system" (NYT). This continues the story discussed earlier today in "What the DOGE team discovered."" At ET, Replace the Income Tax With Tariffs? "No matter how you do the math, there is simply no way that the tariff can make up the difference. The only solution, then, is massive cuts in government spending, which people like Elon Musk have promised but we are waiting to see the plans." 

Hat Hai cites DoD, 'Identity Months Dead at the DoD' "Going forward, DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months, including National African American/Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month. Service members and civilians remain permitted to attend these events in an unofficial capacity outside of duty hours." From WokeSpy, Trump Reinstates Military Personnel Who Refused COVID Vax. Steve Hayward at Power Line, Trump and the First Rule of Politics "Trump never plays defense. Yesterday he issued a proclamation of Black History Month, and note who he singles out for recognition . . ." Twitchy, DEI Obsessed Lefty Political Activist Tells the Whole World She Has NO IDEA What the ADA Is or Does: Olivia Julianna@0liviajulianna "The man is literally disabled and in a wheelchair. DEI is literally the reason the Capitol building is accessible to him." Quote Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " JUST IN: Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs order to ensure DEI is nowhere to be found in all state agencies." NYPo, Trump administration removes transgender references from federal government websites. Jeff Charles at TownHall, Hospitals Are Pausing 'Gender-Affirming Care' for Minors After Trump Executive Order. Misty Severi at JTN reports Trump foreign aid freeze pulls over $1 million in funding for LGBT programs in Ireland, Serbia, "The revelations additionally come after the Trump administration found the USAID earmarked $15 million for contraceptives and condoms last year for Afghanistan." At Real Clear Markets, Stefan Padfield believes The Excuses For DEI Programs Get Worse and Worse.

At TCW, Robert F Kennedy Jr’s magnificent fight back against the demented Democrats. At Fox, GOP senator faces intraparty criticism after saying he is 'struggling' with RFK Jr's confirmation. "'RFK is going to run HHS whether you like it or not,' says GOP Rep Clay Higgins." Sara Arnold at TownHall, Why This Billionaire Is Putting Far-Left Sen. Warnock on Notice “Man do I regret ever helping you,” Shanahan said. “The only reason you’re in that seat is because I sent massive financial support to Shirley Sherrod’s c4 to mobilize rural Georgia during the 2020 runoff. I’ll be correcting that massive mistake asap. You’re awful.” Althouse, "I mean, when you talk to these Republican lawmakers privately, they all understand a vote against something that Donald Trump really cares about is a vote to end your career." "Said Jonathan Swan, on yesterday's episode of the NYT's "Daily" podcast, "Trump 2.0 Arrives in Force."" cold@coldhealing, "chevron using the term "gulf of america" repeatedly in their earnings press release is the equivalent of bank of america putting up their pride month flag profile picture but for our new antiwoke overlords."

From NewsMax, Venezuela Frees 6 Americans After Trump Envoy Visits, Ric Grenell. Breitbart sees Trump Double Down on U.S. Retaking Panama Canal: ‘They’ve Totally Violated the Agreement’. Hat Hair cites the AP, Quelle Surprise: Arab Nations Are a 'HELL, NO' on Accepting Palestinians From Gaza. Beege Welborn snarks "BWAHAhahahaha! I will lay a big, fat donut on the bet that Trump just threw that out there to prove the point that there ain't NOBODY wantin' these homicidal psychopaths anywhere near them. And now that we've established they're absolutely incorrigible, untrustworthy savages, plans can move forward from here how to deal with them." Rebeccah Heinrichs at NYPo, Trump is killing terrorists again and cleaning up Biden’s disastrous mistakes — it’s glorious. Althouse, "This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia." ""These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies. The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians. Our Military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job done. I did! The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that 'WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!'" Writes President Trump, at X, just now." Tom Knighton at TAW thinks Trump's strength highlights Biden's weakness.

Tom Knighton at Bearing Arms Brandon Herrera Has Interesting Take on What ATF Should Do. "In short, instead of making the ATF continue along the current track of pushing unconstitutional laws just to justify its existence, use the ATF to dismantle the gun regulatory scheme. He figures that it can be accomplished in a couple of years."

Susan Crabtree@susancrabtree, "Important Clarification: 88 is the number of FBI agents and top managers who ACTUALLY were walked out of their offices today, including those at the Washington Field Office, Palm Beach, and Miami FBI offices. That number also includes special agents in charge of various field offices around the country." At TNP, Trump’s FBI Cleans House, At Least 20 Senior Officials Dismissed. Bob Hoge at RedState, Friday Night Smackdown at the DOJ—Dozens of J6 Prosecutors Sent Packing. WaPoo whines the new D.C. U.S. attorney fires Jan. 6 prosecutors, launches new probes, "Ed Martin has fired Jan. 6 prosecutors, launched investigations of Capitol riot prosecutions and threatened the nation’s top elected Democrat with an inquiry." When you strike at a king . . . Beth Brelje at Da Fed sees the irony that Dems Worry Kash Patel Could Weaponize FBI Against Political Enemies Like They Did. At the 4th Rail, Former FBI Director Sucked at His Job, Now We're Vulnerable.

Matt Margolis is pleased This Top Senate Democrat Is Now Under Federal Investigation, Schumer. Roger Kimball at Am Great, Schumer Under Investigation While Trump Reshapes Washington. "Schumer faces scrutiny over past threats to justices, while Trump dismantles DEI, deports migrants, and strikes ISIS, signaling a shift in Washington’s priorities." Twitchy, 'The Hits Just Keep on Coming!' DOJ Hints About Probe of Chuck Schumer Over SCOTUS Threats. US Homeland Security News @defense_civil25, "Update: Senator Chuck Schumer is now officially under investigation by the Department of Justice for making threats against conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justices!" TMK @TheMagaKing2_0 ""I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard." – Donald J. Trump "We're going to fight it in the streets." – Hakeem Jeffries See the difference?"

At NewsMax, Ill. Gov. Pritzker Bars Jan. 6 Pardonees From State Jobs. Fox, Anthony Fauci may be deposed as GOP intensifies COVID investigations in new Congress. "'There are still questions to be answered,' Sen. Rand Paul said after announcing his plan to subpoena 14 agencies" Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley "Sen. Paul appears ready to take on Biden' s preemptive pardons with new demands for the deposition of Anthony Fauci. https://foxnews.com/politics/anthony-fauci-deposed-gop-covid-investigations-congress… As noted earlier, the pardon will not protect Fauci from new claims of false statements. Indeed, the pardon could make it more difficult to claim the privilege against self-incrimination."

Hat Hair reports The ICEman's Reach Is Long - Immigrant Arrests in Guam. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ "ICE and HSI even arresting criminal aliens in Guam" Quote HSI Honolulu @HSIHonolulu, "In Guam on Jan. 30 HSI, ERO, and USMS Deputy Marshals conducted a joint operation to protect the community by apprehending immigrants with outstanding criminal warrants. @HSI_HQ." Breitbart has more ICE: Fentanyl-Dealing Tren de Aragua Gang Members Arrested in South Carolina.

Althouse, The Democrats have elected their party chair. See my discussion of the race for the chair, earlier today, here. ADDED: Here's the NYT article on the subject, "Democrats Elect Ken Martin, a Party Insider, to Lead the D.N.C./The Democratic National Committee chose Mr. Martin, the leader of the Minnesota Democrats, to help oversee a demoralized national party split over its future and its response to President Trump." Mr. Martin defeated seven other candidates, including his top rival, Ben Wikler, the energetic chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Mr. Wikler’s base of support came from the party’s biggest donors and institutional players in Washington.... There's a lot of room between starting over and denying that you've got anything wrong with you. Defending former Vice President Kamala Harris’s performance as a candidate reminds me of a big flaw in her performance: defending Joe Biden's performance as President." Buck Sexton@BuckSexton "Whenever you think Democrats have screwed up so badly, they’ll finally learn their lesson- they dig in and find a way to make it worse." At RVN, Kamala Was ‘Traumatized’ By Joe Rogan Interviewing Donald Trump: Report. “Trump spent three hours with Rogan in an interview that instantly went viral. The contrast amounted to a ‘traumatic event,’ said one Harris aide, ‘that I will never forget,’” Allen and Parnes wrote." WUWT sees a ‘Revolving Door’: Biden’s Ocean Energy Chief Went To Work For Major Offshore Wind Company After Admin Boosted Industry.

George@BehizyTweets, "BREAKING: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth just kicked The New York Times, NBC, NPR, and Politico out of their Pentagon press offices to give space to the New York Post, Breitbart, OANN, and HuffPost. Hegseth must be attempting to set the world record for the most transformational changes made in a single month. WOW!" At Da Caller, Defense Department Orders ‘Unique’ Move Against Media Establishment Entrenched In Halls Of Pentagon.

From the Free Bacon, Contrarians, Assemble: Chuck Todd's Exit From NBC Fuels Speculation of Resistance 'Dream Team.' "Gonna take misinformation down to zero." At Da Fed, Elle Purnell lists The 12 Worst Fails Of Media Propagandist And Toilet Paper Bandit Chuck Todd’s Career. Phil Kerpen @kerpen, "Harwood is a known moron, but there is an interesting insight here. The left thinks it's fascism when their unelected permanent bureaucracy is placed under the control of the people's elected chief executive." Quote John Harwood@JohnJHarwood, "Trump is plunging the United States into fascism x.com/brianschatz/st…" At Twitchy, Mollie Hemingway & Others Point and Laugh at Defense of Continued Funding for 'Unbiased' NPR. Shashi Bellamkonda @shashib "NPR is a crucial resource for listeners of all economic groups and ages because it provides unbiased news, fosters thoughtful discussion, and covers important stories that might otherwise be overlooked. Its coverage of remote American communities and global issues is essential Show more" Mollie @MZHemingway, "You meant to say "spews daily propaganda, shuts down thoughtful debate, and censors important stories."" Jon Levine at NYPo is pretty happy that CBS agrees to hand over ’60 Minutes’ Harris interview transcripts to FCC. Matt Taibbi at Racket, About Those Onesies "A brief note to Senator Bernie Sanders." "Regarding your “Are you supportive of these onesies?” questioning: the organization that makes those products, Children’s Health Defense, does indeed list Kennedy as a founder and former CEO. It’s also one of the most censored organizations in the world, a distinction the group shares with Kennedy, one of the most censored individuals. You and Mr. Kennedy were both cited by one of the leading government-partnered “anti-disinformation” groups during the pandemic, the Stanford-based “Virality Project.”"


John Sexton at Hat Hair enjoys his schadenfreude as The First Trans Person Nominated for an Oscar is Being Canceled Over Tweets.

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Sunday, June 16, 2024

Osprey Problem Probed, Not Fixed

V22 Osprey in helicopter mode
Why do we have so many problems with getting things done? At Responsible Statecraft (as if there is such a thing),  Military officials:​ 'Widowmaker' Osprey will fly with a faulty clutch

During a House subcommittee hearing on June 12, Vice Admiral Carl Chebi told Congress that the V-22 Osprey will continue to fly on a faulty clutch through mid-2025.

But while it will fly at a lower capacity of only 30 minutes at a time, this change would not have prevented a crash that killed three U.S. Marines last year.

In the last two years alone, 20 service members have died in Osprey crashes. Finally, after a total of 64 fatalities and 93 injuries, Congress has launched an investigation into the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey — known as the “widowmaker.” On June 12, the House Oversight National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee called on Chebi, adviser to the secretary of defense Peter Belk, and Program Executive Officer for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare and Special Missions Programs Gary Kurtz, to address the recent uptick in crashes.

One of the key questions for Congress was on the Osprey’s aging clutch. As defense analyst Julia Gledhill explained in these pages last year, the Osprey’s clutch will occasionally slip and disengage with one of the aircraft’s proprotors and can cause the helicopter to lurch and nosedive, in what is known as a hard clutch event.

V22 Osprey in airplane mode
This is the first I've heard of the clutch problem, but it's obviously been understood for a while now. 

“Over time, the clutch wears out and has a higher susceptibility to slipping which will cause a hard clutch event,” acknowledged Chebi during the hearing. “In 2022 we had a sharp increase in the number of hard clutches.”

Kurtz told the subcommittee on Wednesday that a rework on the clutch would be done “somewhere between mid-period of 2025 and the third quarter of that fiscal year.” The Department of Defense also removed clutches that have over 800 hours but will continue to use the faulty clutch until then, putting more service members at risk.

As Admiral Chebi admitted, they have “not eliminated the risk.”

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) disagreed with the decision to continue to use the faulty clutch: “What do you think the consequences will be if we have another V-22 go down and we lose more brave Marines or Airmen between now and the time at which Mr. Kurtz indicates we would have this clutch situation figured out and deployed?” said Lynch. “Your whole program’s done. It’s done. If another Osprey goes down, we’re done. This program’s done. So why don’t we ground this now?”

Several family members of Osprey crash victims were incensed to learn that the program will continue to use the aging clutch — rather than grounding the fleet until they can replace the faulty part. After the hearing, the family members of victims sitting in the front row spoke with the witnesses. “Why would you fly something that still has a risk?” asked Gwyneth Collart, the sister of Cpl. Spencer Collart — crew chief of the Osprey that crashed in Australia. Chebi, whose own son is flying in an Osprey, didn’t have an answer.

Obviously, any time you fly anything anywhere, some risk attaches, and military craft are designed with a mission in mind, and safety added as best possible. 

But, why not a program to rapidly replace all the aging clutches with new ones, even if the must be the older ones with a limited lifespan, while they gin up production of the news better clutches I presume they're making? Take someone off the DEI program, and put them in charge of getting all the clutches fixed ASAP. Then shitcan him/her/it if it doesn't get done.

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Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Beach Report 4/19/23

Skye and I got a late start while Georgia stayed home and babysat. Cooler today, in the high 50s with a stiff south wind.
A very high tide meant we didn't get as far up, although we waded past these rocks.
A visitor.
A tough day for teeth, I found only six, but this Carcharhinus has nice colors, so I took a picture where it lay.
A Common Loon was hanging out and fishing in the lee of the north jetty. It looks like it's starting to get its breeding colors, and will probably head north soon, if it wasn't on a stop over on its migration.


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Thursday, June 16, 2022

Beach Report - Two Ospreys

A V22 on the right and Pandion haliaetus on the left. A cloudy, windy, choppy day at the beach. Three shark's teeth and a ray plate between us. Skye got pets though, so it was good for her.

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Friday, October 15, 2021

Beach Report 10/15/21

Today's weather was partly to mostly cloudy, about 72 F, and a south wind that barely touched the water. A hint of humidity, too.
The tide was pretty high, on it's way down, and there wasn't a lot of beach to spare up on Matoka, but there were a few good areas with lots of shell hash and gravel spread out for convenient examination.
We scored 18 teeth, and a couple of crab claws, with this parasymphyseal Snaggletooth being the best.
The eagles were out an hunting. I caught this one just after he/she/it swooped on the water and seemed to come up empty.
But this was the only Osprey I spotted. They certainly have a distinctive sound.


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Friday, September 24, 2021

Beach Report 9/24/21

When Skye and I made it to the beach this afternoon, we were greeted to the Osprey and Bald Eagle show, as one of each engaged in a dog fight over the harbor mouth.
I didn't see any contact, but they were sure going at it.
After two days of stormy weather, and ultra high tides, today was bright and sunny and with a tide back down to normal.
Though not the most productive day for fossil hunting, I did find this really nice "two finger" White Shark tooth. At 1 5/8, it barely missed being the largest of the year so far.
Georgia and Skye on the way home.
A good day for a sail.
When I took the photo, I could not see the cable trailing under the chopper. If I had, I would have tried to get the end and see what was there.


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Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Beach Report 9/15/21

Another "Indian Summer" day here. Nearly 80 F, and not to breezy.
Yes, that water color is right. We seem to have a red or mahogany tide, and a lot of Sea Nettles, mostly small ones. It seems a little strange to me that we are now seeing so many small jellyfish later in the year.
This Osprey did a few low passes over the water, and then landed on the shore up the beach from us. You rarely see Ospreys on the beach; they mostly like to perch in trees or on poles of various sorts.
The neighborhood bully flies by.
Speaking of flying things, a CH47 - Chinook helicopter.
The Kudzu in in heavy bloom, the scent of grape bubblegum is in the air, and the fading blooms are piling up at the edge of the beach.
A catamaran passes by going up the Bay.
When we got back to the harbor there were at least Ospreys circling around in the sky. Maybe they're juveniles psyching each other up for the long trip south.
I tried for a good photo, and these were the best I got.

So I settled for this cormorant on marker #3.


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