billeisele

Not according to those that deployed to Iraq when Tim left the service. No clue if the initial reports are accurate. The political jabs are always suspect. The accounts from those that were in his unit are more believable and they aren't good. The "stolen valor" accusations will be a problem if they are accurate.

Good morning Jerry. Instead of smart, let's say, he has a quick mind and good recall. Even when he repeats lies he's consistent.

He has a well-honed talent of not shutting up when he should and making baseless attacks. No doubt the guy is quite smart but it does make one wonder.

Skydive Carolina has an active belly group. We'll have 3 - 25 at the DZ depending on the day. It didn't happen by accident. There are two older groups and one younger group that promote belly and jump with the newbies. One older group prefers competition and has switched out teammates over the years. They go to Nationals every year. The other older group is a fun bunch of 20 or so jumpers. They prefer free flying the exits and typically do multi-point jumps in the 3 - 8 person range. The younger group has a casual competition group, they periodically do camps and do free flying. The DZ flys a Super Caravan and doing larger jumps is less fun for us. The DZ also hosts a New Heights program that helps student program graduates learn the additional info to safely and quickly advance their skills with organized jumps. The point is it takes, at minimum, a few folks to keep it alive. It takes effort to show the newbies that it's fun. IMO Unfortunatley, there are free flyers that either don't remember how difficult it was to learn competent free flying without a strong belly background or they just don't care. We encourage newbies to spend time belly jumping to learn skills before moving to free flying. It makes it easier and it's much safer. Watching free fly vids with the fast closing speeds and the almost crashes is scary. We learned about fast closing speeds in the '80's by killing a bunch of skydivers. That doesn't need to be relearned.

Bill - The repeated comment was about how when Trump stood up the others stood up. Something like, "just like when Putin stands up in the Kremlim." I guess the MSNBC speaker never watched any D or R speech, State of the Union or any other political event. That's usually how all politicians behave. There's nothing wrong with the behavior. What's wrong is creating political nastiness by assigning that common behavior to Trump and comparing it to Putin. What would be the D reaction be if Fox were to say that when a D leader gave a speech?

Quoting MSNBC on politics is not credible. If one watched MSNBC during the RNC the bias was quite clear. They brought in numerous talking heads that did nothing but bash R's with the typical talking points. One even compared the audience to Putin and the Kremlin. It wasn't a passing comment, it was repeated a few times. They didn't show all of the speakers or full coverage some of them. When the speakers were on, MSNBC had a talking head covering another topic. Basically, the coverage was, ballpark, 20% news and 80% D talking points. FOX was FOX. CNN had fairly moderate/middle-of-the-road coverage. It was interesting watching all three at the same time. Politics doesn't have to be that nasty. It will be interesting watching these 3 channels during the DNC.

Reading comprehension is a thing. To answer your questions directly: no, no and no. At no time have I said that any of this political garbage is acceptable. What I did was point out that the mud-slinging has started and here's an example. The Harris campaign has launched equally offensive material. These pics are out there and computers allow everyone to create whatever garbage they want. It will only get worse from here. None of this is good. What it does is increase the divide and stir up more distrust.

In our school district they teach biology sex in 7th grade. They get the reproductive organs stuff, how babies are made and how contraception prevention works. Plenty of fights about what books shouldn't be allowed at certain grade levels. One female teacher shared, "I feel like an idiot teaching this stuff, they know more than I do." Of note, when I returned to the US in 1981 from living in Galapagos, I did a surprise visit at the end of the day to a rural school where my girlfriend was teaching 3rd grade. Will never forget the boy sitting in the front row corner seat (he had already been held back a year) saying; Miss Mathis, is that who you stay with?!? 50 years ago kids were already in broken homes and didn't know both parents. Not good.

The mud-slinging has started, what fun. Interesting article in USA today. Then there's this, along with many others from both sides already out there. On a side note, what a joke the Congressional hearings were today with the SS Director. Not sure if she was unable or just unwilling to answer. Either way, it's unacceptable. Great example of the problem with unelected bureaucrats.

As you said, measure her with the same scrutiny you measure Trump. Neither is a good choice.

Yep and the polls show that voters are willing to look past it. The 34 convictions are highly questionable but yes, under the law he was convicted. It doesn't help the haters that recent court rulings have thrown out other cases, and that the Atlanta case was and is a mess. The assassination attempt also helps the R nominee. Apparently many people don't care about a lot of that history. It's already been vetted. The problem for the VP is that her past has not been vetted. Watching the RNC it was interesting how it was crafted to portray him as a grandfather, father and man fighting for all Americans. The team that created that strategy is to be commended. We'll see how the DNC goes. Both parties will throw more mud hoping that their mud sticks better than the other sides mud.

This isn't news to the D or R professional political peeps. Both sides have those that would vote for a rock rather than the other side and both sides have hard supporters that are difficult to sway. The fight is for that majority of voters in between those two extremes. Note how the VA governor said that Trump doesn't have to win northern VA (where many of the Washington elite live), he just has to lose it by less. Both sides will ignore the rock voters and the hard-liners to court the middle ground. For the Rs: Trump is seen as a leader, triumphant over the evil system that has been attacking him, he makes his own decisions and can't be bribed. The assassination attempt and his reaction to it will certainly gain votes. K is seen as an unaccomplished, incompetent puppet that sways with the wind and will be the voice of Chuckie, Nancy and others, not the people. For the Ds: Trump is the devil and K is, well, that story will be written in the next few weeks. Because she was marginalized for 3.5 years It will be a tough sell to convince voters that she's ready. They will have to contend with those that don't like K and some that simply won't vote for a woman. Wish I had stock in the polling companies, they will be making millions in the next few weeks.

It's been proven many times that being "elected" doesn't prove anything. Look at her record of things she actually did. As VP she is one of the least popular. One poll had her as the worst. Whatever that means. Her comments on coconut trees (huh, what??), clapped along to a song in Spanish that was attacking her, and has said this non-sensical sentence many times, "what can be unburdened by what has been." She was chosen as VP for one reason, to draw votes. Nothing unusual about that. Then she was set aside. Well, except for her appointment as Border Czar. How long did it take her to visit the border? Her record will be examined and brought forward. As VP pick that didn't happen. She'll have to defend the economy. the border, her statements about Israel, and her AG record. She'll have to defend why she resisted DNA testing that could have proven the innocence of jailed minorities, why she opposed the legalization of marijuana and jailed 1,500+ during her term as AG. why 600 drug convictions were thrown out due to mishandled evidence that wasn't disclosed. Mishandling is one thing, deciding to not disclose it is another, more serious, issue. The party has identified at least 4 other candidates that some think would be better. They will have to contend with those disagreements and do it quickly. The $91 million has to be addressed. The only group having fun is the talking heads. Wonder what they get paid to be on TV and have all that fun? Politics is a mess and it's about to get worse. The DNC convention is 4 weeks away, plenty will happen before that.

Correct. I don't care about anything other than ones ability to do the job. Seen plenty of unqualified and lesser qualified folks placed in positions that they were unequipped to manage. I've also seen folks that would be classified as "minority" that proved themselves with accomplishments and they earned more prominent roles and continued to succeed. Yeah for them and for all that enjoy that success. Since Harris has become prominent I've not seen evidence that she has the experience or capability to problem solve or manage a complex task. The Presidency should not be a training job or proving ground. What's needed is proven leadership and a long history of success in multiple areas.

Booker and MSNBC say that 8 other high-ranking Dems are calling for him to be removed. Gov Murphy is a second term Democrat, doubt that the Menendez seat will change hands.

If I correctly understand the rules, laws, nuances and politics that the various talking heads are stating: Joe intends to stay in, the funds raised for the Biden-Harris ticket can only be used for either of those candidates, If they ditch Harris the fallout will be catastrophic, many believe that Harris is unelectable, it's too late to bring in a replacement, some believe (or are just lying) that Joe is actually fine, Newsome is unelectable due to the train wreck he's created in CA, seems that there is plenty of turmoil amongst the decision makers Trump is hoping the various judges rule in his favor based on the recent SC decision, Fanni, Jack and Alvin aren't happy, Merchan is on the hot seat more than before, the polls appear to be going Trumps way, polls only matter if voters vote. The Republican convention is imminent as is the VP choice, the VP choices probably believe that they would have the best shot at being the next President, that fact isn't good for Haley. We're watching history being made. What a mess. As that mess rolls on. Moves by Panama and Mexico are reducing migrate flow and the US is returning illegal Chinese immigrants. More to come on that.

There's plenty of time for something to happen in the Democratic party yet there may not be enough time to sort through the details and present a slate that can win. I'm sure that the strategists and Democrat leads have all kinds of lists and flow charts doing the what if game. Seems that they will still have to convince Joe to step aside or maybe he knows he's done and has known that for some time, and he's been told to stay in until they can figure it out. Who knows what's really happening. The Republican convention is in mid-July. Trump will have 30 days of campaigning and poll results prior to the Democratic convention in Mid-August to gain a bigger lead. His biggest decision is the VP choice. Haley would be a great choice. I doubt he would offer it or that she would take it. Crazier things have happened, like Joe and Kamala making up after the things they said about each other. It's politics, anything can happen.

IMO there's no reason for bump stocks or binary triggers to be publicly available I understand the suppressors. They reduce recoil and are commonly used for hog and coyote control. I'm not as concerned about them because they are highly regulated. Recently discovered a company in CA that makes a recoil reduction product that also "redirects" the sound but it's not classified as a suppressor. Infinite Product Solutions – Barrel Thread Adapters, Cleaning Kits In S Africa guns are highly regulated yet suppressors are a $200 over the counter item. One can own 4 guns: two rifles, a shotgun and a handgun. An application is required and permission from local enforcement is needed. No semi or auto rifles are allowed. If the gun is lost or stolen one can end up in jail. They will visit your house, inspect your security practices and one better have a great excuse for how it disappeared. If it's used in a crime one will go to jail. They are tracked and regular renewal is required. When a sportsman takes a rifle to Africa the serial number is recorded and listed on the flight ticket. When exiting the country that same gun better be in ones possession.

All of that's true. The challenge with the feds is they tend to have one size stick and a minor slip up can get the same number of whacks as a big screw up. My goal was to avoid all of it. Luckily he said the right things and our company decided to not report it. We had a transmission lineman supervisor going into Savannah River Site. He had a spent shotgun shell under the seat. Crazy number of phone calls and amount of red tape to get that resolved. His site access was suspended and he had to take remedial training. They used to strip search our bucket trucks and always argued about gasoline and chain saws. "Well, we're here to fulfill our contract requirements. There's a tree on the power line and X-Area is out. We can leave or you can let us in. You chose." Finally got them to modify their restrictions for our crews.

At SCE&G, the local power company, we followed the 20/50 rule with the feds. No single gift worth more than $20 or a total of $50 per year. When we held educational seminars for customers this was often an issue. The total value of morning refreshments, lunch and afternoon refreshments exceeded $20. The legal guideline was that if it was something offered to a broad group of customers then it was OK for government peeps to accept it. We created a form that the feds could use to pay for the event if their organization required it, problem solved. South Carolina also had a "blind trust" sting on bribery with numerous people charged. The State agency folks were equally nervous. Some wouldn't attend, some would pay and some didn't pay. During customer visits some fed folks refused to accept anything. Some would ask about going to lunch or for the typical trinkets we had. Almost a big problem. I managed the corporate relationship with the federal customers. Crazy but I was just about the only one that understood the FAR and federal contracting in the Fortune 500 company. For a small State we had a big DOD presence and the typical list of agencies. Fort Jackson, Shaw AFB, McEntire, 2 Navy hospitals, Parris Island MCAS, Naval Weapons Station, Coast Guard, NOAA, Border Patrol, a bunch of GSA buildings, etc. We were trying to get a 1/4 acre site for an underwater transmission cable crossing in Beaufort SC. The Navy had an unused corner of their property on the river. Our local manager and a transmission/substation engineer went to talk to the Navy Captain Base Commander. He agreed to provide the land. If it had been private property it would have been worth more than $250K. On the Navy site it was valued at $10k. Under federal regs they could only sell it for that minor value. The CPT knew that it was worth a ton of money so he asked for a donation, "Would SCE&G consider an additional donation to our MWR fund to build a recreational dock for the employees?" Our folks said, "I'm sure we can do that, how do we make out the check?" Two weeks later, Friday at 3 PM, I hear about this story while talking to the local manager. "(excitedly) We got a great deal, I have the check in my drawer and will take it over there on Monday, do you want to come?" "Uhhhh ..... NO. Please don't do anything and don't talk to anyone about this until you hear back from me or the legal group." Because most power companies are sole source vendors to the feds and the feds can buy more than just electricity, gas and steam (energy services: lighting system upgrades, new HVAC, repairs to their electric grid, surge protection equipment, etc.) they get real comfortable taking with us, we see them frequently and attend their social functions. In this case the CPT wasn't thinking. Called our General Cousel to explain what happened ... under the FAR, this guy solicited a bribe and we are required to report it. There are big penalties for not reporting and worse if we pay it. General Counsel knows nothing about fed regs and knew that I did, and asked, "So what do you think we should do?" I doubt the CPT remembered that we're a federal contractor, we do one-page sole source deals with them quite often. If you agree, I'll call him on Monday and say, "I understand you met with a couple of our folks about the transmission crossing, it's great that the Navy can help with that. About the MWR thing, do you realize that we're a federal contractor?", and see what he says. You can also call the $500 Washington law firm that you use for advice and see if they agree or take my free advice (a standing joke, he often called to ask for advice then called the $500 guy to confirm it). The call happens and the CPT's response was, a 5 second pause then, "We're glad to assist SCE&G. We'll issue the invoice for the $10k land value and that's all that's needed. Thanks for calling and look forward to seeing you next time you are here." The check disappeared and was never spoken about again. At our next meeting the CPT gave me a firmer than normal handshake, a smile and said, thanks for keeping me out of the frying pan. Making that type payment is normal in commercial transactions. It was a good reminder for our engineering and management teams that taking me along to meetings was advisable. Working with the feds one had to know 3 languages: English, FAR and utility speak.

lol - this group has known and worked with each other - some for 30+ years. Of the nine, 5 are retired. There were always female employees and plenty of joking around back when smoking and drinking in the office was OK. Then the no-fun police, social promotions and DEI-like stuff started up. Recently there was a "preferential hire" that quit when her new boss was chosen. She stated, "I'm not working for her, she's not qualified." Uh .... how about look in the mirror, you were the ultimate minority hire, been there 7 years and still won't do the job. It's all about perspective. As for the chica, out of the office she's a hoot. She'll pile it on along with everyone. She has a 17-year old daughter that's quite cute. She used to occasionally come to the office so we know Abby as a sub 10-year old. Today one of the guys asked about Abby, mom says, "OMG it's terrible, I know how I was at that age, and she's eaten plenty of McDonalds hamburgers." The McD's comment was a reference to the hormones in fast food burgers and the "believed" affect on girls. As for politics, SC is a mostly red state. This group is, guessing, 70% red. One person is quite vocal and blue. He'll dominant a conversation about politics. Not fun.

Been busy ignoring the law, doing Carolina Fest and recovering since my last visit here. Getting too old to make 6 jumps a day and party. All interesting and agreeable comments. It's easy to look at a limited group of facts for any of those mentioned and create a positive or negative picture. As an example, about all I recall on HRC are Benghazi, the server in the house, the destroyed emails and the Steele document. Noting that there was no prosecution is a distracting topic. I'm certain she did some good work I just have no recall of it. Jerry said, "the choice is very easy." It seems that's the case for many people. Some like Biden and some like Trump. Those that like Biden say, "I don't see how anyone could vote him, he's a womanizer and a convicted felon." Those that like Trump say, "I don't see how anyone could vote for him, he's senile, wrecked the economy and opened the border." The candidates are fighting for those that are left over. According to the media that's the black vote, the younger crowd and some others. I've noticed in my social groups that no one is talking politics unless they know the person they are speaking with has the same opinions. Nine at lunch today, 7 men, 2 women, 48 - 73 years old. Talked about all kinds of things but not politics. The biggest laugh was the 50-year old birthday girl that said, "some sexual harassment would be appreciated about now." It's too divisive.

The tragedy in this whole thing is that these two are the main choices. Unless the Democrats pull some crazy last-minute stunt removing Joe and replacing him with ???? Seems that the best and brightest are staying out of politics. It's interesting that Nikki and Donald appear to making up. Some of the talking heads think she would be his best choice for a running mate. If Joe and Kamala can make friends after their nasty comments, anything is possible.

Our company went with Blackberry. Stayed with them way too long. Finally switched to Android with Verizon. Wifey and kids have Apple and they all have problems with them. A few months back when Apple announced their latest and greatest they talked about the upgrade to the camera system (multiple lenses). Samsung had been using that tech for about 5 years. The article I read talked about Android having multiple manufacturers that compete on tech advancement and that's why it was a more advanced product. At family events the kids will say, "use Dad's phone for the pics, it has a better camera." Five year-old Galaxy S10.