Boomerdog

Not yet...but it will. There's this pesky principle out there about unchecked costs exceeding revenue. One thousand penances plus one offered to you oh wise one from a me; just a simple serf. But you still have to pack your own rig or get someone else to do it. "It's deja vu all over again." - Yogi Berra

You're absolutely spot on correct on this point. Neither party wishes to give up spending the taxes they collect while in office/power...it's just WHERE they focus and spend the $$$. It's why you have to cut em' off. Politicians are only empowered with other people's money. It's how they do their damage.

Kinda validates the principle of what happens when there's no more of other people's money.

And you Commie Pinko Bastards have a better idea? Let's hear it. P.S. I think it was you I warned about using the term Reich Wing. 'Cause everytime I read "reich wing" from you or anyone else, I'm countering with "commie pinko bastard." Get used to it.

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Hmmm...I thought black lives mattered.

Well let's gather around and let's watch the circus. You making the popcorn?

I can give ya lotsa reasons why they won't. Care to guess?

There's always "GoFundMe."

One person's recollection from the Air Force perspective. Assigned to Norton AFB from 1979 - 1983. I was one of the airlift operations officers on duty during Operation Gallant Eagle. This airdrop of troops from the 82nd Airborne was hailed as the largest operation of its type since the Normandy Invasion of 6 Jun 44. As I recall, this was approximately 60 C-141's from the 63rd Military Airlift Wing (MAW), Norton AFB, CA, 62nd MAW, McChord AFB, WA, and the 437th MAW, Charleston AFB, SC. I cannot recall if C-141's from 60th MAW, Travis AFB, CA or 436th MAW, McGuire AFB, NJ, participated since both wings did not have an airdrop mission as part of their operational mission profile. A week leading up to the operation, I recall the hectic pace of getting 25 C-141's repaired. Twenty aircraft needed for the mission and five back up aircraft. C-141's had a tendency to break at the worst possible moment which was usually just before mission departure time. However, the Assistant Deputy Commander for Operations, 63rd MAW, a Colonel Robert V. Woods was taking no chances as he had been appointed overall air ops commander for Gallant Eagle. I know he drove a demanding and blistering pace to see all the birds from Norton were fixed and ready to go. As I recall, the aircraft were to depart their bases and arrive at Pope AFB on 30 Mar 82. I further recollect that all aircraft were configured to ADP-3 (Air Drop - 3) configuration which required a "Comfort Pallet" which was an additional kitchen galley and latrines. While all contained in one unit, the latrines were of sufficient distance (on the other side) from the galley, which contained approximately 120 frozen meals and plenty of coffee for feeding the troops inflight. Aircraft departed for Pope AFB on 30 March, 1982, for a scheduled airdrop over the NTC DZ's the morning of 31 Mar 1982. I was on duty as all twenty planes departed and on duty working the grave shift as the aircraft departed Pope AFB. About two hours from scheduled drop, I received a call from the Norton Command Post (CP) that winds at the LZ had been gusting measured to be out of limits for peacetime training jumps. The contingency action of course was the real possibility that aircraft would be diverting into the West Coast airlift bases, Norton, Travis, and McChord. With 60 aircraft and approximately 30 – 50 jumpers on each aircraft, we had to make plans for accommodating about 2300 soldiers while recovering the aircraft, turning, and sending them back to Bragg or pressing on with the drop at a later date. Updated SITREPS at the LZ an hour prior was still reporting gusts up to 17 mph at one particular LZ. I cannot say there was a lot of pressure to execute the jump but a lot of Army and Air Force senior brass was at NTC to watch the drop. Further, this was during the Reagan Administration and one of the intended purposes of the operation was to clearly send a message to the Soviets that the US did have a long range air drop capability. I was in the Norton CP as the C-141 crews from Norton reported the drop back to the CP. Thus the contingency for troop recovery in the event of an abort was now moot. I went home an hour later to get some sleep to be back on duty later in the day from 1600-2400. When I woke up a few hours later and turned on the TV, it was reported that there were deaths and injuries sustained, particularly at one LZ that was sloped to the extent that the gusting winds had dragged landing jumpers and dashed them against rock formations. I learned later that the actual COD’s of the four soldiers resulted from two streamers, one off landing (due to high winds) onto some heavy equipment and one landing that resulted in being dragged by winds and dashed against boulders. That afternoon, I headed back to Norton and was involved in configuring two C-141's; one to med evac the injured and the other to take the four dead back to Ft. Bragg. The local press in Southern CA had a heyday with this accusing the military of gross negligence as they found out the winds were gusting three mph above limit. They sold a lot of advertising time and space. While we were not happy about the four deaths and injuries all of us understood and accepted the hard reality that military training of this nature is inherently risky and dangerous and if this had been an airdrop in an actual troop drop in wartime, the losses would have been considered more than acceptable and always thoroughly regrettable. The aforementioned is to the best of my recollection. If any of the facts I’ve presented conflict with others, please feel free to chime in as I understand this is offered from the distance of the actual location.

Have you not been paying attention? "Gotcha" is the new and most popular game in town. Everybody's doing it these days. Some of those everybodys you like and other of those everybodys you don't like...but everybody's doing it. It could become the biggest selling game come this Christmas! Call your broker and invest now. In the meantime, Wal-Mart has issued an apology: http://cbs4indy.com/2015/06/29/walmart-issues-apology-for-baking-isis-battle-flag-cake/ And the beat goes on...

Outstanding work! Enjoyed it thoroughly!

Never underestimate the creative mind facing the awesome potential that funding may be cut as a result of the void you describe. NPR already has proposals for Big Bird et. al. to explore the world of flaming cross dressing on Sesame Street. Justification: Funding needed to teach young children the virtues of expanding societal boundaries. Coming to local PBS station near you. Stay tuned!

Eh...start a betting pool on it. Take some bets, pay the winner, take a cut, pay for a jump or two.

Fire for effect and blanks only! Bilvon with live ammo is a bad accident waiting to happen.

Imagine if we were all in the same saloon together.

Liberal Media, The Media of Peace and Tolerance! You got that right! Without a doubt! abso fu#$inglutely! You have concerns?!?!?!?

No, I clearly SEE the linkage. And yes, I think the Confederate Battle Flag still flies in South Carolina. It should be taken down and no longer publicly displayed for all of the reasons previously cited PLUS the fact that it is a flag of a "nation" that went extinct in 1865. Part of the historical record for certain but that is all. But as much as I've stated my opinion, getting rid of that flag is for the citizens of South Carolina to decide. What you cite is one item in an historical period chock full of so much stuff, the exact cause(s) are STILL being debated from avid readers such as myself all the way up to the highest levels of academia. You knew that but of course you know everything right?!?!? Slavery is without a doubt a major issue behind the Civil War. Cant' and won't diminish that. Nonetheless, if you wish some other perspectives during that time, then read, "What They Fought For" by James McPhereson, distinguished professor of history on faculty at Princeton and recognized as on the foremost and in the opinion of many (including moi) THE foremost historical authority on the Civil War.

Ever heard of Knob Creek?

How you can tie that to what I wrote is a leap I didn't even think you were capable of. C'mon professor, you're better than that. Besides, that was 1861, last time I checked, this is 2015. Did you discover time travel?

...another one!

I wasn't writing to you or Andy. Now if you'll excuse me.

In case you didn't get the memo...nine of our own were murdered by one of our own. Nine AMERICANS died at the hands of another AMERICAN. In the ongoing effort to "form a more perfect union" it sometimes, tragically, goes off the rails. And we keep seeing this everyday right now in Americans killing other Americans. Evil is evil and ya don't need to throw the race card into something that by it's very definition and evidence through millenia plagues us to this day irrespective of who or what or how. It's wrong clear and simple and that's the best you're going to get from me. I don't drink the bullshit Kool-Aid of racial politics. I spent 22 years in the military defending ALL COMMUNITIES in this country NOT just a select few. In my substantial international travels, I like to think I did my best to be respectful of what ever country I was in and not be an ugly American in spite of the fact that on every trip, I'd hear some criticism, vitriol, whatever about MY country and the bulk of the crap I had to listen to and keep quiet about and just let it go is when I was in YOUR neck of the woods. You're entitled to your opinion but like anal orifices, everybody's got one and you've displayed yours quite well. In the meantime, I gotta go buy some beer for you are the first I ever said this to and here goes. YOU validate the reason we kicked your asses outa here over 200 years ago and quite frankly, you got enough problems on your side of the pond to keep you very busy for a long time. So I would thank you to leave us to mourn and bury our dead.

+1

OK...I read the Atlantic article. It does not rise to the occasion. Now for starters, I don't know if Ms. Tatyana Rhodes, the party organizer had individual privileges to use the pool privately owned and operated by the HOA. She did not put up a $175 refundable security deposit or pay a $50 rental use fee specified in the HOA rules for using the pool for a private event. Further, the language does not exclude ANYONE from using the pool as long as they are a resident of the community and abide by the established rules. Would the use been approved? Don't know; but she started out ignoring making the request, filling out the application and paying the fees. Ms Rhodes was engaging in a commercial enterprise selling tickets at the pool for a future event while organizing a free party at a pool she had no approval to use in the first place. This happens to be her "business" called "Twinzzpromotions." Hmmm...does she have a business license? Has she filed and paid taxes for the revenue she's realized from her business? So, disregard for the rules by one person turns into a melee with large overtones of race injected, a police officer is judged to have over reacted and loses his career...all because a young lady thought the rules did not apply to her. We are becoming our own sad satire in individual one act plays.

Agreed. I would propose that we should not be thinking in terms of "practice makes perfect." Proper techniques practiced over time with proper instruction by all means yes. The converse is also unfortunately true and of course to be avoided