On Vacation - See Ya Again Sooner Or later

 The weather where I am now is nice. Other than that, the title says it all.

All the best,

Glenn B

It Is Absolutely Disgusting To Think...

 ...that any parent would want to change the sex of their minor child; anyway I think it disgusting and I think it extremely so. In fact - I think it absolutely depraved and I think it amounts to nothing less than severe child abuse. Add to that, the U.S. Government under the Biden/Harris administration supports sex change surgery (more at the source) for minor children and it has come to the point of unmitigated insanity. 

 

Yes - insanity because these leftist psychos evidently do not have a clue as to the difference between right and wrong. All they can see is having things their way no matter how perverse or otherwise wrong is what they want. They are happy with it their way so long as folks who are libertarians or conservatives or independents are offended by it. In this case though, not only should this be offensive to the right but also to any loving normal parent (or to anyone with even only half normal ideals) regardless of political leaning! 

 

In light of the U.S. government approving of sex changes for minors - it amazes me they have not come out in favor of chemical castration for rapists and child molesters. Then again, isn't that why so many of them strongly support sex change surgery for kids - to get their rocks off (so to speak) with those same kids sooner or later - that would be my guess. 

 

The world has turned upside down or inside out or possibly both - especially with the USA. This administration endorsing sex changes for minors is  an omen, I think, that something like a revolution is sorely coming, in this country, to clean out the perverts and swamp denizens. 

 

I am not advocating a violent overthrow of our government but the truth is I half expect one sooner than later. What with all of the apparent abuses of power that the current administration has been flamboyantly exercising - a revolution would come as no surprise. 

 

Hopefully it will not come to that, I'd hate to see Americans killing Americans but folks my bet is that one is coming regardless of my hopes. I say that becasue I find it hard to believe level headed citizens, within this great nation, can abide by such a perversion of nature among all the other harmful (to the USA) executive orders & legislation spawned by Biden and his crew of ultra-leftist whack jobs. 

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Oye Vey...

 ...another Hessney.com online gun auction tomorrow. They must think we are made of money!

Of course, I already have some bids in.

All the best,

Glenn B

Folks - Get Your Canned Tuna & Sardines Now...

 ...because soon the prices may skyrocket even more than they have in the last year or so. The reason, the price of fuel to get those boats to the fishing grounds and back and then the price of diesel to run the trucks that take those fish to market. Nello Cassarino, who runs Galveston Shrimp Company, said this as per a Fox Business News report:

"Everything that we do involves fuel. From our boats fishing, to our trucks that deliver the product, everything that we use to run our business, we see at least a 35% increase, if not more in some categories". 

 

He also reportedly said this:

 

 "Eventually you’ll see empty shelves. Boats will stop going out because they can’t afford to. Even if the boats went out, the prices would be so high that the consumer wouldn’t buy it. Once the consumer stops buying it then there’s no incentive for a grocery store to carry it..."  More at the source.

 

I think I'll be buying some canned tuna next time I go shopping, sardines too. Actually had the tuna on my list two days ago, then walked right by it without getting any. My mind and eyes were distracted for that moment, she was hot. Other things I need to get are some vegetable seeds (lots of them), some garden soil and some nursery pots. I already started stocking up on more canned food and such months ago (actually been doing that for years, recently starting changing out old stock with new). My medical supplies can use upgrading too. Ammo and gun cleaning stuff I have in ample amounts.

 

Yes, I mean I am getting that stuff (and other things) in the way of prepping for another big one by which I mean another big war. This time it likely will be WW III. You may think me overly concerned with this but I want to have that stuff just in case of such an event or even some terrible natural disaster or an economic collapse (in which direction Biden had us headed long before Russia started in with Ukraine). Stocking up on such supplies is much like carrying a pistol (or three) for self-defense - I would rather have one and never need it than need one and not have it.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Get Your Pet Supplies While You Can Afford Them

Recently I was at my local Walmart where I usually buy my dog's canned and dry food and sometimes get her some treats. My local Walmart has been out of about half of their usual stock of such items by my estimation. I also buy dog supplies consisting of food, treats & medications from a few other places, one of then being Chewy.com (pretty good online pet product supplier). I get tortoise supplies from them too. 

 

Back on February 1, 2022, just around 6 1/2 weeks ago, I placed an order with Chewy for some supplies for my dog and my tortoise. One of the things I ordered was a 16 ounce bag of Cadet Real Beef Bully Dog Treats (Bull Pizzle) @ $37.40. (Walmart usually has in store 5 ounce bags at around $17.00 so $37.40 for a 16 ounce bag is a deal but that is one of the items they have not had during my last several trips there.) 

 

I was about to order another bag tonight, from Chewy, of the 16 ounce size until I saw the current price. I was astounded to see the new price, as I wrote this blog-post, it was $59.90 for the exact same thing in the exact same amount that I purchased as recently as February for only $37.40. That is a price increase of $22.50 in about a month and a half; in other calculations - that is an increase of slightly over 60%. Wow talk about mega-inflation! And it is not like the item is imported - it is made in the USA.

 

Some other things I have ordered, both for my mongrel and for my tortoises have not gone up in price since my last orders of them, in fact some things have gone down a bit. So why the bully sticks cost so much now is a mystery. I am hopeful that is a misprint and that the price is much closer to what I paid in February.

 

The thing is, if you own pets, you may want to pay close attention to the price of pet supplies and stocks.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Just Read An Interesting Piece In The Atlantic

 Read it here: 

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/finlands-model-resisting-russian-aggression/623334/

 

There is some good advice in that article for those countries not yet, but maybe soon to be, in the predicament that has befallen Ukraine. The leaders in those other countries really should be considering: arming the citizenry with small arms, training them in the basics to fight by way of guerilla tactics, putting up barriers to defeat the movement of vehicles - even the movement of tanks (reinforced concrete is relatively cheap and fast to work with). Really, some simple tactics, like the one of:  trailing a tanks, then waiting for the tank to stop, then waiting for its men get out, then waiting for them to take a break to smoke or eat or pee and only then opening fire on them could do a lot to give guerilla fighters a bit of an edge. I am sure there are many other basic tactics that could be taught within a couple of weeks to prepare a civilian guerilla force.

 

Do you think the governments of those countries - that would be next to be attacked by Russia if the Russians try to overtake those others - will be ready? I tend to doubt they will take the advice in that article but who knows, maybe the heads of one or two of those nations will be ready. My bet is Poland might be one of them - I think the Poles most of all may be just a bit sour to the thought of Poland being under the Russian boot again.

 

No, I am not a regular reader of the once upon a time fairly non-partisan Atlantic which I am afraid has morphed into a three-headed ultra-leftist beast. Sometimes though, even the lefties get it right - so to speak and I think this article does just that - gets it right. Anyway, a friend of mine sent me the link to that piece. A hat tip to Charlie F. (no leftist is he) for making me aware of that article.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Happy St. Patrick's Day and...

 ... top of the bottom to you.

All the best,

Glenn B

Putin = Stalin/Hitler II

As is typical of those who are leftists, Vladimir Putin is doing exactly that of which he has accused others. He justified Russia's invasion of Ukraine by claiming it was basically a nest of Nazis (source). Now just as the Nazis under Hitler and the commies under Stalin actually did, he plans to do and apparently has started to do, the same.

"The Russian people will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and simply spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths," Putin said Wednesday. "I am convinced that such a natural and necessary self-purification of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to respond to any challenges." More at the source. Sure sounds rather Stalin/Hitleresque does it not!

We are headed, it seems, toward WW III at a rapidly increasing pace. While Putin does more and more to fan the flames of death doom & destruction even on his own turf, let alone in Ukraine - other world leaders pile on sanctions that apparently do little more than piss him off and Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian people become more and more heinous. One of the most recent of those terrible attacks was the airstrike on the theater that was housing refugees in Mariupol. The attack was made worse by the fact that the Russians evidently had forehand knowledge that the theater was housing children as it has been reported the word children, written in Russian, had been painted on the street outside the theater. More at the source. All the while, Putin is claiming it is the West that is full of "Nazis" and that the actions of the west amount to pogroms (source) all the while as he emulates them (the Nazis) to the hilt with his invasion of Ukraine, his war crimes and his ongoing purge of his perceived enemies within Russia.

We have seen this before. We have seen the inaction, or at most the inadequate action, of other nations at times like these. We know what will be the result of such a and off until it is too late attitude and that result, in this case, likely will be exactly like those in the past. Russia under Putin will keep going and will ultimately try to conquer as many nations as possible. Then, once any expansionist goals have been achieved  Putin will continue to  purge those whom he considers his enemies but will do so with a ferocity that comes with the victory of a conqueror over the oppressed whom he has conquered. 

 

If you doubt that it will happen, if Putin and Russia are not stopped dead in their tracks now, just look to history. When it comes to such purges: Germany under Hitler did it, Japan under Hirohito did it, the USSR under Stalin and Khrushchev did it, China under Mao did it, Cambodia under Pol Pot did it and sadly the United States of America, under several presidents, did it to the original inhabitants of North America. (Note, I call them the 'original inhabitants' because every person (or their ancestors) in this country/continent came here from elsewhere. In that regard we are all immigrants or the descendants of them.) If no other nations stand up to Russia now, many nations may fall to the fury of the Russian Bear.

 

While Putin will carry out some of his purge now, he will do it more so once he has defeated and secured the lands he intends to conquer. If you think conquest is not his intention then  read the article at this link. In it, former Russian foreign minister reportedly said Putin's plans include all of eastern Europe and that he intends to:

 

"...attack, to pressure, to intimidate other countries, including members of NATO." (Source.)

 

If that is not concerning enough, then consider what I believe was the most important thing he reportedly, that Putin has:

 

"...no idea of the world outside of his office in the Kremlin" or "his bunker under the ground where he hides from COVID and probably now nuclear bombs." (Source.)

 

Do you see it. Putin is, in the eyes of this former Russian foreign minister, preparing for nuclear war. How likely is that, everyone wants to believe he would never resort to nukes but it seems evident, if only to me, that he is another psychopath (or at least a lunatic) in a long line of demented wannabe conquerors. Of course, some say Putin is "rational" (source) and will not resort to nukes; yet, Putin keeps on pushing this irrational war and threatening his potential enemies with nuclear destruction. He keeps on doing things that put us potentially closer and closer to such a war; yet the so called experts cannot see it as a possibility. Sounds kind of like what Europe believed about Hitler before WW II and what the US believed about Japan as well.

 

I think, if Russian forces cannot take Ukraine within a time frame that suits Putin - he may well unleash a nuclear attack on a city like Kyiv. If he does that, it is all too possible nations the free-world will retaliate, if not in like fashion then with a full scale conventional invasion of Russia and Putin would in all likelihood reply with a nuclear counterattack. Once the Putin's bombs start to go off, no sanctions in the universe - no matter how severe - will prevent him from nuking other nations or another city in Ukraine. Other rogue nations with the bomb may feel emboldened by such an attack and launch nukes of their own - if there is no immediate and massive retaliation aimed at Russia. Those attacks probably would be aimed at countries like the USA, Japan, England, India or Israel. If so, an all out Apocalyptic war will be upon us.

Of course, there are slight glimmerings of hope that nuclear war can be avoided. First of all, we can hope that sanctions will bring Russia and thus Putin to their knees. Russia's economy was already failing badly and the sanctions must indeed hurt but remember, sanctions work over time and for the people who are dying now there is no luxury of time.  Also bear in mind, a terrible economy did not stop Hitler and Nazi Germany from almost conquering the world. Germany was the most debt ridden country in the northern hemisphere prior to World War II; yet, Hitler built up one of the strongest military forces in the world and commenced to conquer much of Europe before he was finally defeated after a long, brutal and very destructive war in which tens of millions lost their lives. As for the current sanctions, I fear they may not be enough fast enough but I at least, in part, understand why President Biden is reticent to involve the United States more so in the current conflict. While I do not agree with the amount of restraint using restraint in the hope of preventing WW III is understandable to a point. The thing is, I think, he is not doing enough that could be done right now to stop the  ongoing slaughter that is happening right now as obviously evidenced by more and more civilians being targeted and killed on a daily basis. Biden giving his support to Poland for them to deliver the desired Mig fighters to the Ukraine would be one way to vastly improve our assistance to Ukraine and to help prevent Russia from winning this conflict. It may be enough to tip the scales and to make Russian military leaders realize Putin must e stopped before WW III is upon us.

 

Some other glimmerings of hope emanate from two additional sources. The first, of course, is Ukraine, the people of Ukraine may hold Russia off long enough. Long enough for what you may be wondering since I just said in essence that Putin may unleash the Apocalypse in the form of a nuclear attack on Ukraine if Russia cannot defeat it with conventional weapons soon enough to please him. Well, long enough for enough of the people of Russia to oppose him strongly enough so that Russian military leaders realize this has gone on more than long enough and needs to be stopped immediately. Stopped how - not by the unleashing of the demons of a nuclear world war but rather by the assassination of Vladimir Putin. Is there any hope for that - I think so.

It was reported today that Russian General Roman Gavrilov was arrested by Russia''s federal security service. It is not clear why he was arrested. Maybe it was merely due to Putin needing a scapegoat or maybe it was due to one, two or both of purported charges, those being: squandering of fuel and the other leaking information that led to loss of life. More at the source. Of course maybe (and hopefully) it was due to Gavrilov realizing that the war must stop and in order to do so that Putin must be terminated. I think if it was the latter, Putin would not want it made known there were traitors among his high ranking military officers. Now, it may have nothing to do with Gavriov being a traitor, he may just be the fall guy. Regardless, Putin starting to purge the military could basically result in one of two things. Military leaders fall in line behind Putin for fear of losing their lives if they in anyway even so much as seem to oppose him OR high ranking military officers realize this is madness that likely will lead to nuclear war and thus to the end of civilization as we know it and they will take action to prevent that. Again, that action being the termination of Putin.  One can hope but if those hopes fail - then other nations must step up and defeat Russia now and sadly that would likely involve a nuclear war. 

 

Of course, there is one other hope, if and when other nations declare  war on Russia or their actions provoke Putin into escalating this to a world war. That hope is that any order to deploy nuclear weapons by Putin are disobeyed and that leveler heads with the Russian military from high commanders down to conscripts will prevail. Then again there are those in Russia who are salivating over the prospect of a third world war such as Russian parliament member Oleg Matveychev. He stated that Russia should reclaim Alaska, former Russian settlements in California and should take over the Antarctic among other things. More at the source. Additional attempts at conquest would only equal more war and in the event of Russia trying to take Alaska it would assuredly result in world war. So, while there is some hope this may work out without a world war erupting and thus avoiding a global catastrophe taking place, there also is an awful lot of foreboding of gloom & doom of the most terrible type.

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

I Cannot Name All Of The Countires Within NATO...

 ...but I do know one specific country, of current interest, that is absolutely not in the NATO alliance but yet is an ally of the United States. That country would be the Ukraine. You would probably think, what with Russia invading the Ukraine and with Putin threatening attacks on NATO nations and maybe even to use nukes if the Ukraine joins NATO that our vice president would know that the Ukraine is not part of NATO. Heck, its been repeatedly all over the news for over a month now. Yet, that dumb cluck (elected by millions of other dumb clucks) seemingly proved once again that she is a twit when she tweets. 

 

As per a report in Fox News she apparently referred to the Ukraine as part of the NATO alliance. Now how she said it could be interpreted that way or some apologists for her might say that what she meant was the defense of non-NATO Ukraine helped defend the NATO alliance. The thing is if she had meant the latter, the tweet would not have been deleted. Feel free to make up your own mind, here is how Fox reported it:

"When I was in Poland, I met with U.S. and Polish service members, thanking them for standing with our NATO allies for freedom, peace, and security," a tweet from the @KamalaHarris account stated. "The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO alliance." More at the source.

She reportedly also said this at the recent DNC's winter meeting:

"Russia’s invasion threatens not just Ukraine’s democracy, it threatens democracy and security across Europe," Harris said. "So I will say what I know we all say, and I will say over and over again: The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO alliance." (Same source as above.)

 

To me, she is a twit - plain and simple. Dare I say it but heavens forbid that Biden drops dead and she takes over. You might not think she would be worse than Biden but I sure do, much worse and believe me I am in no way supporting Biden. You also might think that if both of them suddenly died or became incapable of holding office - things could only get better. Think again because another total moron, IMO, would become president in their places - Nancy Pelosi.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I Hope We Do Not Wind Up In World War III...

 ...on the fields of Armageddon but I fear that is is almost inevitable. How could we wind up there? Well, if not by way of the purpose of the president of a foreign nation, who is a tyrannical madman, then by way of the abject ineptitude on the part of the ultra liberal sniveling and corrupt piece of turd who is our president. I hope I am wrong about that but I doubt it. 

I have prepared a little to be ready for it but what I have done pales as compared to what some have done to be truly prepared. Anyhow, I'll keep preparing, maybe until I die; all the while hoping it, the it being survival drive, rubs off on my heirs. 

I must says though, it truly is miserable being back in the heat of another Cold War but truth be told - I guess we have never been completely out of it since it first started. It began almost as soon as (or maybe even slightly before) the first and second A-bombs were dropped. Sadly - we did that - dropped both bombs #1 & #2. They remain the only known nuclear weapons to have been used in warfare so far. By the way, I do not dispute that number 1, swiftly followed by number 2, ended WWII - so do not get me wrong when I mentioned that it was sad we used them - it can be both right & sad at the same time. Heck, I also say it was short sighted, on President Truman's part, not to immediately put Russia in its place back then (before they became a nuclear power). Anyway, thankfully no others have been dropped again onto a nation by any other nation as an act of war (although as I said - WW III seems almost inevitable to me and if it comes about it surely will rain nuclear fire upon us).

 

Thus what is going on now, with Russia in the Ukraine, is very concerning - enough so to be extremely scary all over again. We really do not need to drill this shit into kids and libturds again - do we!

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Another Reason, In My Opinion, Why It Will Take Russia Longer To Defeat The Ukraine

 This is just a far out guess on my part or you could call it a conspiracy theory but I believe (as in my unsubstantiated opinion) that Biden is essentially doing Russia's bidding with regard to not helping the Ukraine as substantially as he should be doing. I say that because maybe Russia has the dirt on Hunter Biden and our  beloved seemingly corrupt president Joe Biden. What dirt asketh you! I sayeth, everything to do with Joe Biden's & Hunter Biden's alleged illicit dealings with the Ukraine, Russia & China that netted the Bidens tens of millions of dollars.

 

Imagine if you will, that a huge super-power invades a much smaller country with the hopes of taking it over without resistance from its strongest enemy - in this case Russia attacking Ukraine without any really strong opposition from the US of A. So, Russia's president notifies the president of the USA (ally of the less powerful nation) that if said stronger ally  (the USA) does not do everything it can to make sure any efforts, of all of the invaded country's allies - to prevent or turn back the invasion are foiled but look on the face of them to be at least partially hurting Russia - it (Russia) will make obvious to the world all of the dirt it has on the president of that strongest ally (Joe Biden) of the invaded nation. 

 

In other words, the Russians have the goods on Biden and his son and have threatened to turn over that info to the world should President Biden not hold off on things that would really deter the Russians from continuing its attacks on the Ukraine. Those things mind that you would put both Biden's in prison for a long time at the very least or may get our president and his son convicted of treason and hung. So, the Russians are now in no hurry, they have all the time in the world knowing little to nothing will be done to prevent them from conquering the Ukraine and probably the rest of the now free but former Soviet puppet states.

 

It may seem far fetched until you think about all the actual evidence found on Hunter Biden's laptop and all the other documentary evidence showing money going into the Bidens' accounts from the Ukraine, China and was it Russia too. Then consider that the  Russians are notorious for such types of bribery and espionage as would be needed to influence other government's officials. Also consider that democrat party politicians often allege allegations against their political enemies -  as they did against candidate and then President Trump - when it seems in fact they (the demoncrats) are actually guilty of what they claim their political opponents have done.

 

Am I a conspiracy theorist, well I guess with this one - I must be so because that is my theory and it surely involves a conspiracy! Maybe it is a crazy one, surely no crazier than - and more believable than - Russian hookers urinating of Donald Trump! The thing is, sometimes even the conspiracy theorists are right and with Biden's lack of appropriate response to Putin's threats,  and all the evidence in Hunter's laptop among other evidence of misdeeds by the Biden father & son team, I am guessing I may be right on this one. If not, then I guess Biden is not calling out Putin on his threats nor on his apparent war crimes in the Ukraine because Biden is just an outright pussy wussy.

 

The best way to at first slam a bully down is to stare him in the face and do what the bully does not want you to do with an added sufficient counter-threat, like a man (or woman) with brass balls. The next way is just to hit him with a little of what you've got as hard as he threatens to do you - so as to make him realize he is bullying the wrong one. With Biden though, so far it seems as if Putin has found his emasculated stooge. So Russia has all the time it wants, despite its less than stellar military, to destroy the Ukraine since no other nation will stand up to Putin because the USA under Biden is kissing Putin's arse. Again, that's just my opinion but I'd bet a bit I am right or damned close to being right on.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Some Thoughts I Have Pondered About WWIII

I think, but hope I am wrong, that the longer it takes for Russia to defeat the Ukraine the more likely it is that this war will erupt into WWIII. I think that because I believe:

1. Putin is psychotic

2. As each day of this war goes by, Putin becomes more and more frustrated in his thinking because it seems less and less likely that his plans to conquer the Balkan states will succeed.

3. As Putin becomes more and more frustrated he puts into action more outrageous plans about conquering old parts of the USSR, and voices more threats to NATO and any countries that might align with NATO or actually join NATO.

4. He has become so frustrated as to threaten those who aid Ukraine with nuclear retaliation.

5. Putin Is Psychotic.

6. Sooner or later, if the war continues long enough and the atrocities and war crimes continue, while Russians at home continue to protest, Putin will totally lose any sense of rational thought.

7. Putin will resort to attacking another nation such as Moldova.

8. Putin is psychotic.

9. Putin will, if the Ukraine continues to successfully resist a takeover, eventually use nuclear weapons there.

10. World War III will erupt and it will essentially be the end of most all of us if other nations fire off their nukes aimed at Russia because then Iran, Pakistan, & China, among others, will join the fray against the rest of the world.

11. Of course Sleepy, demented, dementia suffering, idiot, bumbling fool, slow to act, totally inept demoncrat Joe Biden will either order a full scale nuclear response or will surrender. Surrendering will not help us because, and maybe I mentioned this already, Putin is a frustrated psychotic who is frustrated by Russia's inability to defeat the Ukraine quickly.

12. Putin is much akin to Adolf Hitler who was also psychotic (okay just plain crazy if you'd rather say it that way) but Putin is much more dangerous because he has something Hitler did not - nuclear weapons and a lot of them.

13. Should the Ukraine eventually be defeated by Russia, Putin will continue to invade other countries and sooner or later the west will actually defend one of them and WWIII will be upon us.

I most definitely hope I am wrong about things leading to WWIII should the Ukraine not fall soon enough to suit Putin. (Do not get me wrong, I  am not hoping for a Russian win - I hope they kick Russia's arse but that is doubtful without real help from other nations and when I say 'real help' I do not mean sanctions. Things look dismal to me for a bright and sunny future although, for a short while as the nukes go off, it may be suddenly brighter than any of us ever have seen before.

All the best, 

Glenn B

 

The German Army Is "Standing Bare"...

..and: 

"it would be limited in its capabilities should it be asked to assist in a NATO mission". 

 So it has been reported that the top military commander of German forces (Army Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais) has said. More at the source.

 

Now I don't now what you think but I think that Germany has made is crystal clear to Russia that it has surrendered to them in advance should Russia decide to invade any of the NATO allies. I also think that Lt. General Mais should be horse whipped at the very least and maybe even tried for treason and hung appropriately punished if convicted. Of course, I could be wrong about the treason thing - maybe that is what the German government instructed him to do and he was being a loyal little Nazi German. If so, all I can say to Germany and to the general is 'fick dich'!

 

There I was thinking Biden was an idiot for telegraphing things to Putin but here apparently is the head of a nation's military capitulating to the enemy before there is even one soldier of an invading force on German soil. I guess the wall may be going up again soon, this time much further to the west so as to cut off all of Germany from the rest of western Europe altogether, that is once Russia conquers them.

Remember when President Trump told the Germans (and other countries) to pay their fair share of NATO dues. The left was in an uproar. Appears that whatever they did contribute and what ever money they got from NATO finances overall must have found its way to other projects or into some folks' pockets because it evidently did not go into military preparedness.

 

It is a pretty sad state of affairs when the French outshine any other nation - especially the economic leader of Europe (Germany) - but the French have done so. They reminded Putin, today, that Russia is not the only nuclear power in the game and that NATO has them too (source). This apparently was not in the hopes of aiding The Ukraine but rather seems to be an attempt to try to deter any hopes of Putin's to invade NATO nations. Chalk one up for the French over Germany.

All the best,

Glenn B

It's all over the net, figured I share it too.

 My guess is if not the entire world, then it's certainly most of the free world that wishes he was in the White House now or that there was somehow could be called upon to save the day. 

 

Let me tell you - the theme from the 1960's Batman was running through my head and I had to share it too!

All the best,

Glenn B

Will Some Countires' Leaders Eventually...

 ...realize that Vladamir Putin does not give a damn about any sanctions that the world places on Russia and that he is merely another power hungry tyrant on the world stage. One might think that Russia's ongoing invasion of The Ukraine is evidence enough of that but my guess is it will not be sufficient impetus for many if not most world leaders to do anything significant about the invasion of The Ukraine. It seems most politicians around the world are probably willing to let a huge amount of lives be lost there before taking decisive action to stage a counterattack. It sure seems like Joe Biden will never see it as enough incentive to go up against Russia in a hot war. That could be good (we do not need to be involved in yet another war) or it could be bad (especially if Putin & Russia do not stop with the Ukraine and head west). Think along the lines of: 'Today Russia - tomorrow the world'.

Putin had put the world on notice by obviously planning some sort of military move for a good long time now and of course, China has been doing likewise for even longer. As I recall, several months ago he said something to the effect that he had a nuclear shield and effectively could destroy any nukes headed toward Russia (source not remembered - just memory if it serves me right). Then there were the Russian & Chinese tests of highly maneuverable hypersonic (5 times the speed of sound) missiles that could deliver nuclear payloads in super fast time; those tests were supposedly successful for both nations (source reference Russian test) (source reference China's test). Tests by the United States of similar missiles were at first a failure (source) and then about 2 months later were successful or so we have been told (source) Then the military buildup of troops along The Ukraine's borders. His boasting about Russia's military prowess has never ceased but it is not just boasting - he has been modernizing the Russian military and building it up since at least 2008 (source). We have known about it all along and what have we done to counter or at least match it - not much I think but who am I to think under this administration. 

You will note, Russia did not invade the Ukraine late in the summer nor in the fall nor in the middle of winter. It held off until winter's final month - until the weather would be getting better at least soon. A thing, had Hitler done, may have won him the Soviet Union in WWII. What other things on the world stage can we look at that Putin may have used to his advantage in his plotting war. He waited for China, Russia's likely ally in any major conflict, to announce its successful testing of hypersonic missiles. He acted only subsequent to the U.S. losing its energy independence (source). The U.S. was energy independent for the first time in decades under President Trump. Our current president, bumbling Biden almost immediately put a halt to that once in office. So we once again became dependent upon other oil producing nations for oil - nations like Russia. 

 

Putin also waited for what he almost certainly saw as a big minus for our national defense which was for President Biden to dip into the strategic oil reserves of our country (source). My guess would be, mind you only a guess, is that those reserves have not yet been replenished. Putin also acted in the Ukraine relatively shortly after the debacle in Afghanistan. Mind you, he did not care one iota about our troops being killed at the airport in Kabul, nor about how many American citizens were stranded, but rather paid close attention to the folly of our withdrawal strategy or lack of it. He certainly must have also noted that the U.S. forces left behind a lot of military hardware and probably software too. You can bet the Russians recovered enough of it to delve into any weaknesses found in that equipment or software - such as our helicopters that were abandoned during the withdrawal. In addition. 

Putin also waited until our country's economy has been brought to its knees by the highest inflation rate in 40 years which was created by the Biden Administration with its to spend trillions of dollars we do not have (well, we may have the 'money' as they keep printing more currency but of course that only makes inflation worse). One other thing to which Putin paid close attention and waited on has been the apparent ineptness of our current president (source). It seems evident that Putin would not have invaded The Ukraine if Trump was in the White House. I think President Trump was too bold for Putin to have chanced an attack on any nation getting a rapid and military response from our nation under Trump.   He readily invaded the Ukraine when it became evident that the U.S. would not defend The Ukraine with its military. Biden has repeatedly stated he will not involve U.S. troops in a war with Russia - he has already given up in that regard and made it clear to Russia that they essentially have free reign in Eastern Europe (source). 

 

Sure, there are sanctions - look at how much or not that they have deterred Putin -  really they have not at all. But Biden was sure to telegraph (as he did with our cybersecurity) to Russia that just about all we would do is to impose sanctions and he did it both before (source) and after (source) the invasion commenced (source).  Now mind you, that last linked source states that Biden is sending more troops to Europe but those troops are being sent to protect NATO allies and not to engage Russia over its invasion of the Ukraine (that is another thing Biden telegraphed to Putin). Biden appears to be little more than an angry bumbling & uncontrollably farting fool who can not help but tell the Russians our plans. So, you can be sure Putin noticed that and uses it to his advantage. 

 

Biden also has  single-handedly destroyed any good done for the United States by President Trump. He has destroyed energy independence, lost jobs, screwed our economy, lost the confidence of the people but most of has reduced our standing in the eyes of our enemies. Putin also waited for China to help cripple the world economy by slowing down and almost completely destroying other nations' ability to manufacture goods, goods that are made in, or that require parts made in, China. Take for example the automobile industry. Make no mistake about it - Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and others are our enemies and each of those countries has active nuclear weapons programs that have constantly been improving. As far back as 2019, Russia's nuclear arsenal has been far superior to that of the U.S. (source).

 

Also bear in mind, should WWIII actually break out, Russia has allies within western nations in the form of Muslim extremists who will undoubtedly,at least in my estimation, side with Russia. Countries like the U.S., Sweden, Germany, France, England and many other have large populations of Muslims - many of them extremists. These countries are sure to suffer dire consequences from them should war against Russia erupt.

Now, Putin is threatening destruction like the world had not seen should the allies of the Ukraine take any action to help that nation (source). China has not condemned Russia, at least not in any meaningful way and is allowing for imports of Russian wheat (source) (an army does not march long on an empty stomach and the Chinese military is no exception) and my bet is if it comes to a world war, China will undoubtedly ally with Russia. Both of these nations have successfully tested hypersonic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads (source reference Russian test) (source reference China's test). The early U.S. tests of the same type of missile was a failure; then the U.S. had a successful test of that missile a couple of months later (one can hope that success is the truth and not just face saving braggadocio in the aftermath of the successful launches by the Russians & Chinese). The thing with these missiles is that a first strike may take place so quickly that the other side does not have enough warning to take defensive or retaliatory actions. In other words - he who fires their missiles first maybe wins. Then again, even if the one fired at first gets off its missiles - what would the outcome be but thermonuclear destruction of much if not all of the planet. For Putin to be making such threats indicates he may be a lot like Hitler - in other words he may well be out of his mind.

 

So will the leaders of the free world wake up? Will they realize the sanctions and all the drum beating hoopla are not going to do a thing to help the Ukraine or to curb any further military takeover of other free world nations by Russia if that is Putin's design? Well, I would hope they get it but if the rest of them are anything like Joe Biden, the free world may as well surrender now. 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

(I'll proof this later, my eyes are killing me after writing this one, just realized I had on the distance glasses not the readers.)

What Are The Worst Or Most Disappointing Guns You Have Ever Owned?

For me, I suppose it was a Charter Arms Explorer II pistol that I bought way back when I was a Border Patrol Agent in Calexico, CA. I got it at the Yellowmart in El Centro, CA (that was my go to store for guns & ammo, camping gear, hiking stuff and fishing tackle. The pistol was both the worst and the most disappointing for me of any guns I have ever owned. I thought I was buying a pistol that would be lots of fun, it sure looked cool. Instead it had lots of jams no matter what brand or type of 22 LR ammo I used in it and I tried plenty. Some other folks had better luck with theirs but that model pistol became know in the firearms community as a Jam-o-matic; so, I guess plenty of others besides me had their share of problems with it. Mine certainly lived up to its oft used nickname.

My next was another 22, the Smith & Wesson 22A-1. Let me just say, I considered it a total cheaply made piece of junk. That was due to lots of jams (again with many different brands & types of 22 LR) and seeming lack of quality parts and those parts were obviously lacking before I ever shot it. The white nylon buffer, of which they gave three (3) in the box, was a surefire indicator that those parts were not built to last so when the buffers for it run out of stock - and you need another due to yours wearing out - the gun will become useless. Then there was the mag release that almost required the strength of Hercules to release the magazine; that wound up being a problem only with one of the two mags that came with the pistol. So, it probably was not a mag release problem but likely a faulty magazine. I actually had to hit a brass punch with a hammer to get the mag release to go in and then pry the one mag out of the mag well. The next problematic thing was the take-down release. Even the manual said it may be difficult to depress - so S&W manufactured this pistol knowing that would be a pain in the users neck. Next was a bent recoil spring when I took it apart for its initial cleaning before firing it. Now back to that nylon buffer, it was part of the recoil spring & rod assembly. The one in the gun had evident stress fractures in it when I first examined it out of the box. Finally when I looked over the recoil spring again, I counted 15 coils. In the manual a picture of the recoil spring showed one with 13 coils. I guess that something was stressed too much, thus those stress fractures and thus the bent recoil spring, I imagine the extra coils could have caused the stress. My initial impressions of this pistol are here.

Even my RG26 pistol(s), I think, were better made than the two above even though each of the RGs were each just another Jam-o-matic but I will not classify them as the worst or most disappointing - and they were pretty terrible. If you are wondering why I bought two, it was because the RG26 was my first pistol. I eventually took it apart, destroyed the parts, and disposed of the parts. Many years later I bought one at an auction due to nostalgia and nothing more; that wore off soon enough and I sold the second one here in TX.

The third and final of the guns that were the worst and disappointed me the most was a stainless steel Ruger Mini-14 with synthetic stock. I bought it new. When I cleaned it before shooting it, I noticed lots of machining marks on surfaces in the receiver and a bunch of sloppy welds. When I shot it, I could not hit paper at 25 or 50 yards with most shots, no matter what type or weight of 223 ammo I tried with it. On one target, I think I hit it five times probably out of around 100 shots. I had a few jams with it too as it was not extracting or ejecting properly. Then I needed something to whack the bolt handle to open it - that happened a couple or few times. That gun was an utterly dreadful disappointment to me and its performance was extremely lacking to say the least. It's not like I was unfamiliar with Mini 14s and somehow was causing these issues myself. I had been shooting a bunch of them at work and thought they were good to go so I bought it. I have shot plenty of Mini 14s both before and since buying that one and never had similar problems with any of those others. I even took it apart and cleaned it again, probably as good as I had ever cleaned any gun, and while it worked a bit better, most of the issue prevailed and it still shot like shaite. Ruger told me to send it in but I decided I just did not want it even if they worked on it and got it right. So, I sold it instead (and was very forthright about the problems). The buyer got it and loved it. This is the feedback he left me, he also contacted me later to tell me it shot just fine:

"Highly recommend this seller, Well packaged, shipped promptly, great communication, rifle accurately described, photos accurately showed the condition of the rifle. Very Pleased Geat Job!!!! A+A+A+A+"

  Go figure.

All the best, 

Glenn B

You Have The Right To Be Represented By Counsel But...

 ...does an attorney have the right to refuse to represent you? If yes, then I can only think that the lawyer representing Colby Martin, reportedly of White Pigeon, Michigan, is quite possibly among the scum of the earth. Martin was arrested and reportedly was initially accused of manslaughter among other crimes after allegedly running down a woman who had been out for a walk.

 

Those charges reportedly have been changed with the top one now being a murder charge after Martin allegedly: ran down a woman with a vehicle, killed her, then had sex with her corpse. The reasons, at least some of them, for the upgraded charges reportedly are DNA and another reportedly is that the investigation of this case revealed Martin, before he allegedly killed the victim, had used the Internet to look up porn related to having sex with unconscious and dead women. More at the source.

 

If true, I am aghast and left wondering - will the wonders depravity of humankind never cease? Me thinks there are monsters among us.

All the best,

Glenn B

Today In History - One Of My Chiildhood Heroes Made History 60 Years Ago

On February 20, 1962, when I was six going on seven, one of my childhood idols climbed into a small more or less sardine can sized spaceship known as Friendship 7, a Mercury capsule, sat in it for about 4 hours and finally blasted off to become the first American to orbit the earth. He was John H. Glenn. More at the source.

 

 

 It was a thrill back then to think not only could man fly that high for that long but that he was an American and that we as a nation had caught up to and surpassed the Soviet Union. Although the U.S.A. had already sent two other men into space, Alan Shepard being the first in the so called Space Race, the USSR already had put a man,Yuri Gagarin, into orbit around the earth. Gagarin was the first human in space and also was the first to orbit the earth, doing so once on April 12, 1961. (Source.) Thus the Soviets beat out us by almost a year. 

 

When Glenn orbited the globe, he went round three times, not just once as had Gagarin, and thus he greatly boosted the confidence & morale of Americans in that our men and our technology seemingly were superior to those of the USSR. They were scary times back during the Cold War and any advantage over the Soviet Union was a relief. That was because of the everyday threat to the USA posed during the Cold War by the Soviet and their nukes. Every parent & kid was well aware of that threat due to frequent required air raid drills during which we had to duck & cover both at home & in school. Both the relief due to the perceived advantage and the air raid drills though would have wound up being pointless had the Cold War ever gone hot and had even half of the atomic weapons ever been launched. Glenn's successful mission created a perception of superiority by the USA and was a big lift to the spirit of our citizens and others within the free world. Test launches aside - thank goodness that the biggest relief so far has been that the only major launches, by both sides, during the Cold War and later have been into space. I fear though that the Cold War is on all over again and I pray it will never go hot. Maybe we, as a species, can again find something out there in space to keep our minds on instead of chancing the Apocalypse here on earth.

 

Glenn, one of only 7 astronauts known as the Mercury 7, had an outstanding career in the U. S. Navy & Marine Corps, as an astronaut, as a businessman, as a test pilot and a career as a politician but I think he will always be remembered best as a courageous American astronaut who soared into space and then became the first to orbit the earth.

All the best,

Glenn B

This Is What Made Boys Like Girls...

 ...well, if not just girls, then nice girls for sure. Just a piece of nostalgia I remember from my childhood. Not like I just thought of it, I was watching another video on YouTube and this was listed in the sidebar:

 

 

Hope you enjoyed that, what a voice. Peggy March was only 15 at the time she recorded that. Don't know if she ever had another hit, just do not recall but I sure remember this one.

All the best,

Glenn B