Trojan Horse Redux

With Donald Trump throwing his hat into the ring for the 2012 Presidential election campaign, it looks as though there is someone who might have the strength and notoriety to beat Obama. Trump is playing it up to full tilt, and saying things that have been up to this point dismissed. But because of Trump’s notoriety, he gets full play in all the mainstream media, which gives it the appearance of legitimacy that it never had before. Trump’s call for Obama’s birth certificate is a win-win for him. It may provide him the ammo he needs to win. If he loses the race, then it’s given him more notoriety, he still doesn't lose because it will benefit his show and any other endeavor he embarks in. I believe that while there are legitimate questions about Obama’s nation of birth, we are not going to find out before Obama leaves office. And it’s dubious that we will find out after. He has the power of the Presidency behind him, and he knows how to wield it. The progressive statists have a vested interest in keeping it permanently hidden. If it’s revealed and he is truly not a US citizen, then every bill he signed, every executive order he issued will be nullified. It would destroy everything the leftists have worked for, and could even cause irreparable damage to our government. How would we deal with all the nullified spending bills and the taxes that went along with it to pay for all those systems that were put into place? That being said, I still think we should pursue the birth issue, but after Obama's out of office.

But I digress.

The main issue here at hand is the effect Trump will have on the outcome of the election. Trump has already said that if he does not win the GOP nomination, he will run as an independent candidate. If he does so, there is little likelihood Trump will win. Furthermore, it will do to this election what John Anderson did for the election in 1976 and what Ross Perot did for the election in 1996. In Anderson’s case, it helped a weak, liberal “nobody” win the election without a majority. In Perot’s case, he aided in Clinton getting re-elected. Arguably, Clinton, who only received about a third of the vote, wouldn’t have been reelected had votes to the GOP candidate been siphoned off by Perot. Trump, a wealthy business man with a penchant for straight talk, and an outrageous character is very similar to Perot. Look at the similarities here, and I think you’ll see my point. It's likely that if Trump runs as an independent, he'll siphon off GOP votes. Trump worries me even further because I’m not sure I believe his claims to be a conservative. He has given quite generously to Democrats in the past, so it makes me wonder why he is changing his allegiances so blithely. To make matters worse, it appears that there are no strong Republican candidates to oppose him.

Here’s where my conspiracy theory kicks in. The statists want Obama to remain in office so they can continue to implement their plans to expand and consolidate their power. They know he is weak, and has been damaged by his actions to implement their plans through the office of the presidency. If an election were held today, it is doubtful Obama would remain in office. So, they bring in a Trojan Horse. If you recall, the Trojan Horse was used by the Greek army to secretly infiltrate the Trojan fortress. It lulled the Trojans into a false sense of security; a gift was left behind as a peace offering, and the threat of an invading foreign army was apparently gone. Perot was the progressive’s Trojan Horse for the ’96 election. He lulled us into a false sense of security that he could beat Clinton. I think Trump is the Trojan Horse for the 2012 election. His candidacy will lull the conservatives into a false sense of security, while the rest of the GOP votes for their man. The right wing vote gets split, and the Democrat lands on top. You may argue as to why a guy as rich and powerful and famous as Trump (or Perot for that matter) would need to be the president. Obviously they couldn’t offer him money, so how did they do it? The answer? Ego – and more power. Guys with power like even more power. The likely theory is that someone stroked Trump’s ego, and planted the seed in his mind to run for president. Now, with Trump announcing he is seeking to become President, he threatens (likely unknowingly) to give Obama another term. 

If that happens we can pretty much seal our fate as a nation as we presently know it. We will never be the same. Even if we win a majority in the Senate, I think Obama will have so much political clout in D.C., that he will be nearly unstoppable.

I may be off the deep end on this… and I hope I am.

The Other Foot

The shoe is on it. The Left screamed for Bush’s impeachment because of his invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Now they have to step up to the plate in holding President Obama responsible for attacking a country, or be found as hypocrites. Libya was no clear threat to us, and, more importantly, Obama did not seek or obtain any permission from Congress to attack. On the other hand, whether you agree with what he did or not, Bush asked Congress for permission to use military force, which is admittedly a bit weasely, but some argue that there is no formal verbiage specified in the U.S. Constitution for a declaration of war. The Left vociferously called for his impeachment despite that. But now, President Obama has, without any sort of permission from congress required by the U.S. Constitution, has ordered attacks upon a foreign country. He is acting hypocritically, as he stated during his campaign that the President has no authority to unilaterally attack another country that poses no threat to the United States.

The Constitution states that the President can be impeached for High Crimes and Misdemeanors. What exactly might they be? His High Crime is his blatant disregard for the U.S. Constitution, and his misdemeanor is his dereliction of duty by leaving the country during these attacks. Some may disagree that he has, but what exactly are we looking for? Bush was described as committing war crimes. Has Obama not committed an even more egregious offense by attacking Libya? In light of that, I must ask the question; where is the cry for Obama’s impeachment from the left? Biden said if Obama did what Bush did, he’d make it his business to impeach Obama. Now he is silent. What about the media? Why are they mute? What about Code Pink? Where is Cindy Sheehan? Louis Farrakhan criticized him, but only as far as Obama was attacking a Muslim country. Only a few politicians on the Left have called for his impeachment. And Ralph Nader.

The truth of the matter is this: the Left doesn’t really care about war. It’s merely a tool to further their agenda. That’s why you won’t hear a call for impeachment from them. If it serves their purpose, they’re OK with it. In truth, it’s all about power for them. They blasted Bush so violently that they were able to shift the balance of opinion so far that they obtained their goal of a veritable triumvirate of holding the entire legislative branch and the White House. Their man is in the White House, and he is aggressively pursuing the implementation of their agenda. These attacks on Libya do not concern the Left because they are where they want to be.

The World is on Fire

In the wake of the revolt in Egypt, fully agitated by the Obama Administration, revolution is spreading across the Middle East like wildfire. Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, and Jordan are in revolt. I find it difficult to believe that this is all spontaneous, separate and isolated to each country. It could be that those who chafe under these regimes are emboldened by the examples of the other nations. Perhaps its the tentacles of the Muslim Brotherhood are slithering across the Middle East, toppling regimes that are not favorable to their cause. Some say that through the inactions and stumbling missteps of the President's weak Middle East policy and lack of strategy has ignited the whole region into conflict. It has indeed strengthened the Muslim Brotherhood, and they know that we will do nothing. They may very well achieve their desired caliphate. Indeed, in response to the crisis, the President made this statement; 

"I am deeply concerned by reports of violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. The United States condemns the use of violence against peaceful protesters in those countries, and wherever else it may occur.

The United States urges the governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen to show restraint in responding to peaceful protests and to respect the rights of their people.

These are not "peaceful protesters". These are not 60's style "sit-ins". These are deadly serious revolts against established governments. Statement like this from our government are either just plain incompetence, or calculated to spur on the violence. Given what I know of Obama's radical leftist ideology, I would not make incompetence my first guess. 

The world on fire, and Obama fiddles while it burns.

Singularity

The Singularity is coming.

Throughout modern history, we have banned certain technologies for the safety and stability of human civilization, or just to lessen human suffering. We, referring to civilized nations, have shunned the use and development of nerve gasses and bacteriologic agents. We have deemed these technologies as too horrendous, causing great suffering amongst its victims. We have discontinued the use of land mines because these weapons last long after a war is over, killing and maiming innocent people – frequently children. Though we could theoretically try to develop "smart” mines; mines which disarms themselves or become inert after a specified time, we choose not to because it has been deemed that this it is too horrible a weapon. While not entirely outlawed, most civilized nations and non-governmental organizations decry experiments in cloning and fetal stem cell research because it is offensive to our sense of humanity. Finally, we attempt to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons because the consequences of their use are just unspeakable in the scope of death and human suffering their use would bring.

So, it can be argued that we do allow for some technologies to be shunned and not pursued, if not outright banned. But there is a technology that we are pursuing with all abandon, celebrating every advance, which may prove to be even more horrific than nuclear weapons. What technology is this, you ask? Its the very technology that allows me to write this, and for you to read it. Computer technology. And it threatens all mankind with extinction just as powerfully as an asteroid striking the Earth.

The Singularity means the end of human civilization, if not humanity itself. Crazy talk, you say. Perhaps, but let’s explore the Singularity. The Singularity is defined as “the technological creation of smarter-than-human intelligence”. Moore’s “Law” gives us an idea of how its happening. Moore’s “Law” states that the amount of transistors that can be put on a chip doubles about every 24 months. Following this, every other computer related statistic has also increased exponentially, in step with Moore’s hypothesis. History itself points out that major events are happening faster and faster. Life first arose around three and half billion years ago; it was only eight hundred and fifty million years ago that multi-celled life arose; only sixty-five million years since the dinosaurs died out; only five million years since the hominid family split off within the primate order; and less than a hundred thousand years since the rise of Homo sapiens in its modern form. Agriculture was invented ten thousand years ago; Civilizations appeared about five thousand years ago, Socrates lived two and half thousand years ago; the printing press was invented five hundred years ago; powered, heavier-than-air flight was invented just over a hundred years ago; the computer was invented around sixty years ago. At some point, as technology continues to expand at this exponential rate, we will inevitably reach a point where machines will be “smarter” than humans, reaching what we currently refer to as “Artificial Intelligence”. Or it may be a brain-computer hybrid, or any other ideas that have been floated out among science fiction movies of the last half century or so. This is not my idea, and I haven’t been watching too many movies. Well, perhaps I have. Yet there are a community of scientists, engineers, philosophers, and futurists who believe this. Where I differ from them is that I believe there are a danger in what they acknowledge is going to happen. They see it as the next step in human evolution, akin to our ascent from hominids. But to achieve this step in human “evolution” we may be dooming ourselves to extinction.

They say that we must continue to progress in computer technology, that to do so is dangerous, and tyrainnical, that it’ll be forced underground. This is ludicrous because it takes mounds and mounds of money to research and develop this technology. Gone are the days of inventing this stuff in your garage. We recognize that there are dangerous technologies. They say they will be able to incorporate safeguards into the emerging technology, to protect us in the event that the AI becomes dangerous. It’ll never happen, and they are just fooling themselves. There’s just no way to guarantee that the machines will follow Asimov’s Three Laws once they become sentient. Or the machines could take it to the ultimate opposite extreme, and imprison us “for our own good”. Once the genie is out of the bottle, it’ll never be put back in. Just as it is with the nuclear genie. We have never been able to successfully safeguard this technology, and it threatens us over 60 years later. Have we learned anything from allowing this technology to spread and grow?

Don’t get me wrong. I am no Luddite. I am indeed thrilled with the advance of technology. It is amazing to me. While I can see the benefits of certain medical technologies, I don’t think all of it is good. Am I saying we should stop researching and developing more advanced technologies? No – and maybe. There is no way of knowing what will happen when the first computer becomes self aware. There are also endless philosophical, ethical, and theological questions this will bring about. If it is self aware, does this mean it has a soul? What if we come to a point where we feel we need to destroy it? Will it try to stop us, or even retaliate in some way? Remember that all the while, technology will continue to advance at an exponential rate. At some point, it’ll become so super-smart, we will not even be able to comprehend it.

Amongst the futurists, they see many technologies coming together, technologies headed in the same direction. We are currently working on brain-computer interfaces that allow the human mind to control a computer. But who’s to say it won’t create a technology that works in the opposite direction. We are working on artificial intelligence, where a computer will be as smart as, or likely smarter than a human. But what’s to say a smarter than human computer won’t find a way to treat us the way we treat chimpanzees. Or worse. Nanotechnology promises to cure all diseases, or even make us immortal. If our perception of time speeds up as we age, what will our minds be like after 200 or even 500 years? As we perceive the years to speed by like days, would we be able to maintain our sanity? Could all of these create a “trifecta”, so to speak? Too much of anything is often a bad thing, and the same can be said for the convergence of these technologies. Furthermore, do we really believe that those who are advanced will help those who are not, that they’ll use their power for good? For those with a more pragmatic (or even pessimistic view of the world) we find that hard to swallow. Human history is full of examples of one person or group seeking to dominate their fellow man. With super intelligence in the hands of a select few, it is entirely conceivable that the rest of humanity could be enslaved.

There are so many “what ifs” its mind boggling. But let’s look at it from a positive perspective. Maybe none of these bad things will happen. Maybe the Singularity will usher in a great event in human civilization like the invention of the printing press did for literacy. Maybe, with the power of our minds melded into computers, we’ll be able to solve problems that have plagued human civilization for millennia. Maybe we’ll find a way to cure disease and poverty, find limitless energy, and reach out to the stars. Maybe we’ll be able to raise our minds to such heights that we’ll be able to perceive solutions to problems in ways we cannot even imagine now. With everyone’s minds connected in a new type of Internet, all of the differences we have that divide us will be erased, as we find we all just want the same thing; to be happy and to seek fulfillment. And we’ll help each other do so, because we’ll all understand each other.

Still, those “what ifs” keep haunting me. Why? Because I believe it alludes to something very important; our humanity. The things that are predicted by these futurists; transferring the consciousness into machines, becoming one with machines, becoming immortal by proxy, etc. are offensive to the dignity of a human. By merging ourselves with machines, we turn ourselves into tools. We are allowing ourselves to become less than human. We are no longer fully human. It’s one thing for us to unwittingly create machines that become so-called self aware, and perhaps even dominate the human race. It’s another thing entirely for us to allow ourselves to distort our humanity into something unrecognizable.

I’m not saying we should halt all tech development and research, and not progress in our knowledge or technology. I don’t have the answers. But if I saw you headed down a road, and I knew the bridge ahead was unsafe, it would be irresponsible of me to say nothing. What I am saying is that I trying to warn us that the technological bridge we’re about to cross may not hold our weight.

In Remembrance of My Mother

Carolyn Nunley: 1941 - 2011

I rarely post about personal stuff, but I'm making an exception for this. Some of you who are my facebook friends have already heard.

On January 11, 2011, my mother passed away due to COPD resulting from emphysema. I won't go into the details, but I will say she suffered greatly, struggling for every breath. It was very difficult to watch. Watching her die that way makes me want to grab every smoker I know (and each of you smokers who may be reading this), and beg you to do whatever it takes to stop. Do this not just for yourself, but to spare your family the anguish of a slow and lingering death. I had to make some hard decisions, and make tough calls, and I hope I never have to do it again.

With that out of the way, let me tell you about the wonderful person she was. She was a registered nurse, and I have always been proud of the fact that she graduated from Yale University School of Nursing, where she attended on a scholarship. She worked at many hospitals, including the Norwich State Hospital. Anyone who has been stationed in Groton, CT knows what that was. For those of you that don't - it was what is referred to as the "nut house".

A funny story goes along with that. She was working there when a coworker, who's husband happened to be the Bull Nuke on the Patrick Henry (my dad's boat), introduced them. While my parents were dating, and afterwords, whenever she told someone she met that she worked at the State Hospital, my dad would quickly chime in with "Yeah, and I'm one of her patients!". She never thought that was as funny as the rest of us did. 

She specialized in geriatrics and was the Director of Nursing in several nursing homes before she retired. She was a consummate professional in her career. She was always proud of the fact that her patients rarely ever had bed sores, and that she would do whatever it takes to make sure they didn't. She always said there is no excuse for bed sores. So if any of you has a loved one in care, don't let them bullshit you about "it can't be helped". It can, and anything else is neglect.

It was hard growing up as a nurse's kid. I could rarely ever fake being sick! I would tell her I wasn't feeling well. She would take my temperature, look down my throat (she would use a wooden spoon handle for a tongue depressor), listen to my chest, and palpitate my stomach and my throat. Her reply would be "You'll live. Get ready for school." Damn. Life was tough, I tell you. She was as unwavering in her principles as my father. There was no compromise, and backtalk was certainly not tolerated. I could never get away with a lie, either. She always expected my best in my schoolwork. Excellence in my education was paramount, with proper manners a close second. God help me if I was anything but polite and respectful. She was disappointed when I brought home anything less than a "B", and an "A" was the goal for next semester/test/project. If she hadn't been as firm as she was, I doubt I would be the man I am today.

Everyone she knew said she was the most kind, giving, and caring person they had ever met. She was always willing to help someone out. Her neighbor, Beth, had breast cancer, and needed a nurse to give her the chemo injections every day. Unfortunately, Medicare wouldn't cover it, but they covered the medication. Go figure. Anyway, my mother gave Beth those injections every day for months. Beth told me at the funeral that if it wasn't for my mother, she would have died. My mother gave her time selflessly to many church organizations, and was a devotee of the Rosary. She was very generous to me and my family. Something wonderful was to see her many friends, old and new, come from far and wide to pay their last respects. All of her Legion of Mary friends from church came to say goodbye. At one point, they had the funeral parlor packed. I turned around and there was an ocean of blue hair! How awesome is that?! She was dearly loved by all who knew her. How could you not?

The hallmark of my mother's life was service. Not just in volunteer work, but in her professional life as well. She cared for countless thousands of sick and elderly, helping them regain their health, or giving them comfort in their final hours. After she retired, even though at times she was in great discomfort, she still came out for her church volunteer organizations. She reached out to people with warmth, and though they may have only been part of our life for a few years, made strong bonds of friendship that time and distance never faded. Service was her whole life, and she touched so many lives through it. If we are going to do something to honor my mother's memory, I think the best way would be is to serve others.

My mother was indeed all of those things, and much much more. She was incredibly smart, beautiful, wise, totally devoted to my father (I've been told "they made a great team"!), tough when she needed to be, strong enough to do the hard things, and loving and caring always. Her faults? I do not recall any now. I will miss her all the rest of my days.

The Middle of the Middle of Nowhere

I have located the middle of the Middle of Nowhere - it's known the rest of us as the White Sands Missile Range. I just came back early Friday from nearly two weeks out there doing work for the THAAD program. Nothing interesting, just validating repair procedures for the system's diesel generators. I guess being outdoors all day really got the best of me, because I slept nearly all day Friday. That and just the rigors of airline travel really saps you.

The air was really dry there, of course. But, unless you've been there, and up until now, I hadn't, you really can't grasp just how dry. The dry air wreaks havoc with your sinus, and they get as raw as if you'd jammed a q-tip with 30 grit sandpaper up your nostrils. My sinus were filled with blood clots like I'd never had before, not even on the boat. I think the only thing that kept them from bleeding out right was the dust. To get some relief, I used a couple different sinus sprays. First, a saline wash, and then a sinus lubricant.The saline wash helps wash out the dust, and soften up the clots. You have to be careful not to use too much, because it can dry your sinuses out, rather than moisturize. The sinus lubricant acts like Chapstick for your sinuses. I highly recommend both, not just for the desert, but for the dryer air in the winter.

The site was very remote. This will give you an idea of just how remote.

"Close-up"

Includes the entrance gate to the base at the bottom

Includes El Paso, TX at the bottom

Black Mountain from WSMR

There was no cell phone coverage once you got on the road to the base from Rt 54. There was nowhere to go to eat without having to drive for at least a half hour. Orogrande, NM the closest town (if you can call it that) actually had a burger stand.

Yours Truly at the Ladybug Grill

It takes all of 30 seconds to drive through the town at the speed limit. Bag lunches and bottled water were the order of the day. Fortunately, my hotel, in El Paso, TX, had a really nice breakfast buffet. I especially liked the bacon. It was absolutely the best I've ever had. A good breakfast made a good start to the day.

I ate at some really nice restaurants while I was there. Unlike other trips I've taken, I was there with others from my company that enjoyed dining out as I do. The best place we ate was Cattlemans, in Fabens, TX. Its to the lower left of the Middle of Nowhere. Along with steaks on the menu four times out of the 11 days I was there (after all, it is Texas), we ate at a Mexican restaurant. It was the spiciest food I've eaten in years. My lips were absolutely on fire by the time I was done with my meal. But it was delicious, I have to say. I know the trick to eating spicy/hot foods. Dairy will neutralize the acid that makes hot foods hot. A glass of milk during the meal will help immensely. But I didn't expect my meal to be that hot. So, at the end of my meal, I had a nice soothing bowl of ice cream. I did this also because I knew if I didn't, I'd be a hurting unit as the meal made its way through my digestive tract. It helped quite a bit, but it didn't stop the second round of burning at the opposite orifice. Other meals were Barbecue (of course), Chinese, and Italian. A fairly well rounded mix of comestibles I should think.

I also visited Carlsbad Cavern while I was there. It was fantastic. I really enjoyed it, but it was quite exhausting. It was a 1.5 mile walk around and there were some pretty steep inclines. The rock formations were quite interesting, but it was hard to get good photos in the dark with my cheapo camera digital camera I bought at Walgreen's. Here are some of the better ones.

A stalactite over a stalagmite

Looks like frosting on a cake

Rock of Ages

My favorite rock

On the way there from El Paso, you pass through the Guadalupe Mountains. There were some very spectacular mountain views. But what really caught my eye was this:

El Capitan, Guadalupe Mountains

El Capitan was a spectacular crag. It appears as you round a bend, going up into the mountains. I took several pictures, but this one was the best. I had a great time, over all. It was good to get out and do a bit of sightseeing.

Going through security was not the hassle I had expected. Because of the protests leading up to Thanksgiving, Big Sis has suspended the Nude-O-Scope usage in most airports, despite what you may hear in the media. I went through traditional security on my flights out and home again. No groping, either. The machines at Providence were shutdown, and only one was in use in El Paso, at the far end of the security chokepoint. I went to the far opposite end in the hopes that time distance and shielding would work to my favor. 

I have some things I do that helps make the traveling experience on the lower end of the torture scale. Slip-on shoes, or at least loosely-laced shoes are a must. I've discovered that the small metal tip on the Navy uniform belts will not set off the metal detectors. So, I just unclasp the belt buckle, and stick in my carry bag. When I get through, I easily reattach the belt buckle. I do not put any of my valuables in one of the bins. I see people place their wallets, keys, cellphones, jewelry, etc., in the inspection bins in plain sight. Things get ripped off so easily, especially when you can't keep an eye on it 100% of the time. I put everything in my carry bag, deep inside so it makes it hard to grab them if some miscreant is doing a quick snatch-and-grab. Nothing I can do about the laptop, however. Its gotta come out. 

Once you get onto the aircraft, maneuvering through the narrow aisle with your carry-on can be quite punishing on your shoulders and hazardous for the other passengers. I see people fighting with their carry-on as they try  to roll it down the aisle. Its an exercise that would challenge a contortionist. You have to twist your upper body down and your shoulders nearly parallel with the aisle to roll your bag. The same goes for a shoulder bag, but you don't have to twist down, except under the weight of the bag. I see most people cram too much crap into their carry-on. With the shoulder style bags, you are now bashing people in the cranium as you head towards your seat. Most people realize this, but you always get those one or two obliviots per flight who don't realize they're a menace to those around them. Then there's trying to heft your bag in front of you, while trying to make your elbows touch. It may be the least dangerous, but its more awkward than the other ways. So, what do I do? I have a backpack, or a daypack, if you will. I got one specifically for laptops. I use it everyday in fact. It allows me to stroll comfortably down the aisle. When I get to my seat, I simply turn my back to my seat (I always get an aisle seat if i can), loosen the straps, and set my bag in the seat. That is the system I use for making travel more tolerable, but it may not work for everyone or what someone else may prefer.

My flight out to El Paso were tolerable. I had some credits which got me upgraded to 1st Class. I still had to fly cattle class on the way home, though. I've learned a few tricks towards making flight more bearable. I read that if you give the flight attendants a tip or some type of confectionery treat, it makes a big difference towards the type of treatment you receive. So, I picked up some Ghirardelli dark chocolate, one for each leg of my flight. I picked some up for myself, too (it's good for you.; lots of cancer fighting anti-oxidants, raises serotonin levels, etc.). During my flight out, after the beverage services, I got up went forward to the flight attendant station and presented my little gift and... nothing. I got thank-yous of course, but no "special treatment". I wondered if I gave it to them at the wrong time, or maybe they were used to that sort of thing. I decided to give it a different tack. On my final leg from Atlanta to Providence, I gave it to them during the beverage service, when they got to my row. That was it. They went absolutely bonkers! I got the entire can of soda, and was offered another. They offered to comp me a snack box, that normally goes for $7. Every time they came by my seat, it was "Nom nom, fank oo fo da chockwat! Its so dewishus!" I declined, of course. I got my reward just from the attention.

But next time... yeah... I just moved up to "1st class" for $2.87.

Muddling Missile

The mysterious missile contrail is muddling the media and the masses. We are now being told that this unknown trail of smoke/vapor is not from a projectile, but from a jetliner, and it just looks unusual due to the height of the camera.

Bullshit.

I have seen plenty of SLBM/SLCM launches – and that contrail looks exactly like one of those contrails. Or more like exhaust plumes, to be exact. No passenger jet contrail I have ever seen looks like that, nor should it be, legally I might add, that close to the ground.

We have the technology to track every single scrap object in orbit around our planet. Yet, they (the powers that be) expect us to believe they have absolutely no idea what it is? But it’s not a missile. So, if it (and it almost certainly) is a missile, where did it come from? Why is the source being denied? A couple of reasons are plausible, or not so much. You decide.

1. It’s a CHICOM SLBM. This is my pet theory. Why? The CHICOMs have their knickers all in a knot over Obama’s trip to India to court them as our new financial “partner”. China is really pissed off, so, in a display of power, they let one go. The government is covering it up because a) at best it would be a monumental embarrassment to our military capability, and b) it would at worst send the country into a blind panic. The markets would crash due to fear of China’s next move.

However, it would have been the biggest blunder any country could have ever made in all of human history, because it had the potential to collapse the entire world economy and everything else for that matter. It would be the Apokyclips. Everyone, including them, loses. The only thing saving us is the government's willingness to cover it up. And I can't imagine the Chinese as being that stupid.

2. My next (im)plausible theory is that one of our SSNs inadvertently launched a TLAM. Why the cover up? If word got out to the press that those things could let go accidently, the backlash would be so strong that every single one of our TLAM loaded boats would be ordered into port so fast it would make the Road Runner’s head spin. The National Security ramifications are terrifying. Imagine what it would happen if all the cops in any big city stayed home one night. It would be like that, except it would be, well, like, global and stuff. If this is true, expect to see a PACFLEET boat skipper get relieved “for cause” or some other vague reason in the next week or three. And the investigation would be forgotten about. To do this, however, would require a significant amount of threats and NDAs to keep the crew from ever saying anything.

But, here again, I know from first hand work that there are so many safeguards built into the Combat Control System that it would take a lot of people not paying attention/giving a shit for this to happen.

I have a couple other theories, but I can blow even bigger holes in them than these to the point where they can’t pass the smell test. I will say one thing, and that is my former WEPS from the USS PA SSBN 735 thinks its a missile, too, as well as several other submarine qualified guys.

What do you think? Anybody else on the same thought patterns as me on this (if so that would be pretty damn scary)?

Why?

I don't get it. Can somebody explain to me in some sort of twisted convoluted Navy logic that even I can't fathom, why this was necessary?

Sports

I’m flabbergasted. I am now firmly convinced that people here in New England are complete and utter morons (not including those who read here). For the last eight some-odd years, I’ve listened to my fellow Connecticut residents and my co-workers in Rhode Island complain bitterly about the condition of their respective state economies and political climate. Yet, last night, we re-elected the same Democrat party assholes back into office.

On a sidebar, unbelievably, Massachusetts re-elected one of the most corrupt and detestable politicians, and one of the primary architects of our current economic mess, Barney Ffffffffwank.

Apparently, we’ve been inoculated against the anti-incumbent fever that has swept the nation. The only thing I can figure is here in CT, they love their handouts and their precious unions. In RI, the state legislature is hopelessly corrupt. So much so it’s the state joke. I just don’t get it. It’s not for lack of information. In this electronic age, you can go to dozens of sites and find all the information you need to make an informed choice. They’re more than happy to complain, but not passionate enough to change anything. I’ll tell you one thing they are passionate about here. It’s the one thing I hear discussed almost to the exclusion of all else. Spo-ahts. It’s all about spo-ahts. Spo-ahts, spo-ahts, spo-ahts. If my fellow New Englanders are going to stay glued to their televisions all year and not participate in your civic duties, do the rest of us a favor and stay home on Election Day.

The one bright spot in this election is that the rest of the country got it right. We have a solid majority in the House of Representatives, possibly even a veto-proof margin provided they can sway enough fence sitters. While we did not gain a majority in the Senate, they can’t steamroller us anymore. We can now safely filibuster any further harmful legislation. And, in just two short years another third of the Senate is up for grabs and it’s likely that there will be conservative gains then, too, maybe even enough to get that super-majority.

Maybe by then, when the rest of the country is starting to prosper again, and we’re still sucking, New Englanders will gain some IQ points, do their civic duty, and turn off the “spo-ahts”.

Get the Party Started

It's catching on all over.