Sound Familiar?

     Even though I'm smack dab in the middle of preparing for the A-Z Challenge, I thought I'd take a break and mosey on over here to vent.

    NO WAY am I going to use this blog for the A-Z Challenge.  Good grief, I'd lose my mind if I had to write thirty [mostly] serious posts.  As Bill Clinton would say, "Screw that."

    But, an occasional foray into the sober would be all right.

    Imagine, when growing up, you befriended one of the kids in the neighborhood.  He had a lot of cool toys and always seemed to have money for the candy store.  What's more, he protected you from other neighborhood kids who, to you at least, were the worst of bullies.

    NOTE;  Maybe they were or maybe they weren't bullies.  They just had a hard-on for you.  Or were told they did by your friend.

    Even though he dressed kind of funny and was from a rich family (they owned two cars, his mother didn't work, had cable TV, and he went to a private school), he was still your friend.  You did a lot of good things together as you made your neighborhood great again.

    It was a wonderful relationship, full of wonderful things.

    Well, eventually, he then started talking crazy.  He began to deride others with whom he disagreed.  And, even though you didn't know them, he expected you to consider them your enemies, as well.

    If you didn't, well...you could forget about those trips to the candy store.  After all, you shouldn't expect him to fit the bill all by himself, should you?  And protection from those public school kids?  You can forget about that, too. 

Let them hang you from a stop sign by your underwear.
  Loser.

    Once he didn't receive unquestioned loyalty (and, yes, worship as your "favorite friend") from you, well, you're no better than the scum of the Earth.  You're on your own.  And, if he still wanted to play in your backyard, well, it's too bad if you objected.

    This sounds familiar, although I can't quite put my finger on it.

Oh, sure I can. 
I wrote this thing, you know.

    

Of Steak and Lobsters

     The news cycle is dizzying.  There are so many topics on which to opine that it can be difficult choosing which one.  Most of my opinions can be refuted by others who, while wrong, at least demonstrate they possess some cognitive awareness.

"I don't recall that ever happening."

    Some viewpoints are so absurd, though, that they defy all logic.  To the point where I can't believe sentient humans hold them. 

For instance, some people actually
believe this belongs in women's locker rooms.

    However, I maintain that there are many sides to this question or that.  And I enjoy respectful debate.

Or otherwise.

    Then, there's the latest outrage.  Paul Begala, former advisor to Bill Clinton and traffic cone on CNN is, sadly, not alone in thinking  taxpayers' money is being wasted on frivolous luxuries. 

"That's my job!"

Paul Begala is weapons grade stupid.

     Too many people share this muppet's opinion.

    If you've never been in the military, you may think that the Secretary of War, Defense, Whatever, Pete Hegseth just decided to spend millions of dollars on things such as lobster tails and steak.  

    While I sincerely hope your delusion doesn't lead you to the conclusion that Hegseth is wolfing down on these luxury items himself, 

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

the brain dead among you would think this is a lavish, new way to bribe troops.

     For the ignorant (NOT NECESSARILY stupid) out there:

    In May, 1977, I was a crewmember aboard USS America (some of you may know this if not both of you).  During that time, it was not uncommon for the mess decks to offer lobster tails and/or steak on special occasions.  Some of these "special occasions" included announcements from the Captain that our time at sea would be extended.

Not saying the food was bad, but I got food poisoning
when we were overseas during Christmas, 1977. 
Where I was left horribly disfigured. 
Okay, that part's not true.

    My point is that appearance of these delicacies (which were sometimes, frankly, horrendous) quickly became a joke among the crew.

If you think this is luxurious, let me show you a submarine.

    "Hey, we'll be back in Norfolk in only a week!  Isn't that great?  I can't wait to see my wife and kids after nine months at sea."

    "Uh, didn't you hear?"

    "Hear what?"

    "They're serving lobster and steak on the mess decks."  

    In the twenty-seven years that I served, this was common practice.  From what I understand, food such as this was given to troops just before they went into combat (so, you could say, with some validity, that crews on aircraft carriers were living large).  At no time did it completely erase the suck, but it did boost morale somewhat.

    I've got more news for the anti-Trump crowd.  On Christmas Day, 1997, I was underway on USS George Washington in the Persian Gulf.

As opposed to the New Rochelle Gulf

    A holiday feast was served on the mess decks in a vain effort to distract us from the fact WE WERE IN THE PERSIAN GULF AT CHRISTMAS.

    You know what we had?  Prime rib.  And lobster tails and steak.

    I get that you hate Trump and Hegseth*, but, seriously?  Shut up. 

Epilogue:  Bonehead Begala also took issue with 225 million being spent on furniture.  While I could understand his problem with this (if he was equally vexed by millions spent on illegal aliens), there is an explanation.  The fiscal year ends on September 30th.  If any money is left in a command's budget, they are told to spend it by then.  If it is not spent, they will lose that money for the following year.  I have no doubt that was the case here.  Not saying it's good or something I agree with, but it's true.

*Despite being accused of being a "Trumplidite" (I kind of like that term), in no way am I pro-Trump.  However, I am a thinker.  Who has walked the walk.

I Don't Like War

     But, sometimes you have to fight one.  And I hate that the United States has to fight this one.  However, by not taking this on now, things could be much worse in the future.

    NOTE:  In the previous paragraph, I started each sentence with “But,” “And,” and “However.”  Sloppy, sloppy writing.  I would be embarrassed if more than a couple people were to read this.  Or I was getting paid.  Anyway...

    In 1979, I was a 21 year-old serving aboard the aircraft carrier, USS America. 

Not a good look, I admit

    On November 4^th of that year, 66 Americans were taken hostage by batshit crazy Islamic fundamentalists in Tehran.  I thought for sure there would be a robust American response, even though we had a worthless peanut farmer for president.

    Sadly, I realized that my ship would more than likely not be a part of it since it was sitting without screws (i.e., propellers) in a drydock at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Nope.  We weren't going anywhere.

    Fun Fact:  The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, instead of being in New Hampshire, is in Kittery, Maine.  Keep ‘em guessing (and confused), I guess.

    Nothing happened, except for stern words, protests, 

and Ted Koppel nailing a great gig.

Nope, the Ayatollah Khomeini and his minions

Wrong minions

 thumbed their nose at the “Great Satan.”

Fun Fact #2:  The Iranians originally wanted to go with "Yankees Suck!"  but the Red Sox owned the copyright.

    In fact, they probably laughed their turbans off following the disastrous rescue attempt in April 1980.

    The hostages were released after the inauguration of Ronald Reagan.  Guess they figured he’d be worse than the boob from Plains, Georgia.

    However, that didn’t stop the Iranians from being deadly pains in the ass in the region and throughout the world.  Whether directly by them, or by their proxies (e.g., Hamas), thousands of people have been murdered for forty-seven years.

    And, in all that time, they chanted “Death To America!”

    Now (although not actually now; it’s been going on for quite some time), they threaten to develop a nuclear weapon.  Does anyone with a functioning brain cell think they won’t use it, once they get one?

    As despotic and murderous as the regimes in Russia and China are, they are not crazy.  I firmly believe they wouldn’t use their nukes unless they were pushed to the brink.

    Iran, on the other hand, could very well use one to hasten their version of the end times by taking us with them.

    When someone has been wishing you death for almost fifty years, you may want to call their bluff.

    Therefore, to prevent them from developing the military infrastructure to ward off any attempt to thwart their nuclear weapons program, President Trump, in conjunction with Israel, ordered that every bit of their military be rendered kaput.

    Case in point:  North Korea.  That country was allowed to shield itself to the point that taking out its nuclear program was a non-starter.  Even though they’re lead by a pudgy little bastard with a bad haircut, they would be nuts enough to use them unless they were at death’s door.

"Tell him I'm on Ozempic."

    So, I reluctantly support the military strikes in Iran.  I reserve the right to change my mind in the future, of course (incidentally, I initially supported the Iraq War.  Until I didn’t).

    My caveat is that my support will completely evaporate if American ground troops are brought into this thing.

    I pray they are not.

    God bless the United States military.  

By the way:  All the Democrats castigating Trump for waging an illegal war, where were they during Obama's misadventures in Libya?  Thaaaaatttttt's right.  Fucking hypocrites. 

      

That's All, Folks

 

Don't think the pig is halal

"DEATH TO AMERICA!"
"Well, that didn't go as planned, did it?"
"I don't wanna go.  It's even hotter there than here.  And the 72 virgins are transgenders."
"Sorry, but you'd best be steppin'. Hey, give my regards to Saddam when you see him." 

NOTE:  As I indicated in a post a couple weeks ago, I was against any strike on those crazy bastards.  But....I certainly understand those who were for it.  In similar fashion, I would have been an isolationist up until December 7, 1941.  That said, now that it's underway, go-time.