M2

Fifty years ago today, on April 30, 1975, the Fall of Saigon occurred with North Vietnamese forces capturing Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam marking the end of the Vietnam War. The city was subsequently renamed Ho Chi Minh City. This day is most remembered for the chaotic evacuation of American personnel and South Vietnamese allies, symbolizing the conclusion of a long and contentious conflict. Footnote: There have been a lot of similarities noted between this day and the fall of Kabul in 2021...

Capital punishment is typically reserved for the most heinous crimes, such as premeditated murder or acts of terrorism. Aggravating factors could include the cruelty of the crime, while mitigating factors might involve the defendant's mental state or lack of prior criminal history. Oddly enough, the financial cost of capital punishment is also often higher than life imprisonment due to lengthy trials, appeals and the costs associated with maintaining death row facilities. Lastly, the irreversible nature of the death penalty raises concerns about executing innocent individuals can influence the decision to opt for life imprisonment instead especially in more liberal areas. That's not the case in Texas. By the way, it's a moot discussion. Colorado abolished capital punishment in 2020 for crimes committed after July 1st of that year... The nation is almost equally split on the matter...24 states still have capital punishment, 23 do not and three have a moratorium on executions at the moment.

Excellent. “It’s a foregone conclusion that at a minimum, this guy is going to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The only question is how many more years there will be in addition to that there will be, and our office’s goal is to get every single of of them,” 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said.

We are getting these HAF/A1 updates at work, they are a very entertaining way to start the morning! EO: Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness Synopsis: Prohibits expressing a gender identity divergent from an individual’s sex within military service. Prevents the use of invented and identification-based pronoun usage. Prohibit associated medical treatments. Provides that transgender individuals cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service. Key Info/Updates: The Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs released “Additional Guidance on Treatment of Gender Dysphoria” (Atch 2a). Due to the preliminary injunction in Shilling v. United States, Military Treatment Facilities will provide gender dysphoria (GD) care to covered beneficiaries 19 years or older who have been diagnosed with GD. Under the Supplemental Health Care Program, service members can resume GD care, including hormone therapy and pre-surgical evaluations. All previously approved and paused SHCP waivers are reinstated and affected service members should contact their providers to reschedule care. Service members with paused or cancelled pre-approval SHCP requests should resubmit them. The Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs released “Additional Guidance on Treatment of Gender Dysphoria in Minors” (Atch 2b). The DoD prohibits initiating or continuing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for individuals under the age of 19 years old who have been diagnosed with GD. Military medical treatment facility (MTF) providers who are currently treating affected minors must inform patients that puberty blockers must stop immediately, while cross-sex hormones can be stopped immediately or tapered. MTF providers may prescribe reduced hormone dosages to facilitate tapering for up to 6-12 weeks, and extensions will require approval. TRICARE formulary updates are simultaneously underway to revise prior authorization forms for cross-sex hormones to comply with the 13 Mar 2025 memorandum “Treatment of Gender Dysphoria in Minors”.

"Political analysis and reporting free of tribal prejudices" 🤣🤣🤣

Hell, I thought your post was about the new Kuna from Springfield Armory!! Maybe a Kuna shower gun?!?

I'm sure most have seen this already, but it's just too good not to share!! 😁😁😁 QB Nico Iamaleava's time with Tennessee football is over after DEMANDING more money and a 2025 Bugatti Chiron (listed at $4,301,450). Iamaleava, the 5 Star recruiting gem, signed an NIL contract in March 2022 that could’ve paid him more than $8 million by the end of his third year at UT. Iamaleava's ‘Camp’ wanted his NIL pay increased to $4 million per year and a brand new Supercar ‘Bugatti Chiron’ using the possibility of him entering the portal as leverage if his demands were not met. Coach Josh Heupel informed the team that the Vols are moving forward without Iamaleava stating they don’t negotiate with student athletes. #Tennesee #NIL #NicoLamaleava #Vols #SEC

Great movie! RIP Michelle!

But she's OK with her picture?!? (Sorry guys!!)

Can anyone verify?

New footage has emerged of the largest of China’s two new tailless stealth fighters, widely referred to as the J-36, although the designation remains unconfirmed. The video in question is perhaps the most impressive view of the aircraft so far and shows the unique three-engine jet on final approach to land at the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation in the province of Sichuan in southwestern China. The J-36 also wears some kind of splinter-type camouflage scheme, with distinct lighter-looking panels around the dorsal intake and aft of it. This is a feature that was visible in previous, much poorer-quality images showing the upper surfaces of the aircraft. Some kind of mirror-like coating, the like of which we have seen on all of America’s stealthy tactical jets for testing purposes, should not be ruled out, either. Meanwhile, lighter-colored areas on portions of the leading edges of the wings indicate the likely presence of apertures for electro-optical/infrared sensors. While this latest video of the J-36 provides us with our best view so far of this still-enigmatic aircraft, the sheer quantity of imagery of the jet that has emerged in the last month or so points to a notable ramping up of test flying activity. https://www.twz.com/air/chinas-j-36-tailless-fighter-zips-over-road-on-landing-giving-us-our-best-look-yet

Again, God bless the dirty heathens of the US Army! When it comes to morale, they simply don't give a shit! Army to Recode 20,000 Parachutist Jobs in Major Airborne Restructuring BLUF: In an attempt to "improve readiness," the Army is recoding nearly 20,000 paid parachutist positions that, although remaining as "airborne billets," the affected soldiers will no longer be required to maintain jump status or receive jump pay. Of course, the Air Force is being blamed. "Limited aircraft availability, especially C-17s and C-130s, has contributed to an overall decline in collective airborne proficiency,” according to LTG Gregory Anderson, CG of the 18th Airborne Corps. Per Anderson, “This is not about saving money; it’s about getting readiness to where we need it.” 🤣🤣🤣 Jump pay is $150/mo or $1800 a year; so this "not about saving money" effort is saving the Army $36M a year. To maintain jump status, a soldier must qualify four times a year.

Spot on! Why The 2025 NCAA Tournament is the Greatest in Recent Memory

Musk haters attacking Teslas because they are built by a Nazi! Those of us who drive Volkswagens!

Call it what you want, but who took the trophy home?!? 🐊🐊 🏆🏆🐊🐊

It appears Cavoli wants to be the next four-star fired by Trump!! A non-American as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO? That’d be ‘problematic,’ Cavoli says "It would put us in a position where, in an Article 5 [mutual defense] situation, we could have for the first time since the First World War, large numbers of American troops under non-US command." But it's OK if the other 31 countries are under US command? So the US administration wants less involvement in European problems, but still wants to dictate everything? Check.

Trump administration fires director of National Security Agency/Cyber Command The Trump administration has fired the director and deputy director of the National Security Agency, the United States’ powerful cyber intelligence bureau, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation, members of the Senate and House intelligence committees and two former officials familiar with the matter. The dismissal of Gen. Timothy Haugh, who also leads US Cyber Command — the military’s offensive and defensive cyber unit — is a major shakeup of the US intelligence community which is navigating significant changes in the first two months of the Trump administration. Wendy Noble, Haugh’s deputy at NSA, was also removed, according to the former officials and lawmakers. The top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committee, Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, denounced the firing of Haugh, who served in the roles since February 2024, in statements on Thursday night... (Full article at title link) I've had a couple of opportunities to meet with Gen Haugh when he was the 16AF/CC. He was an articulate, dedicated and experienced leader in the field of cybersecurity and intelligence, and I cannot fathom how his dismissal will benefit our national security.

For those with access, check out the BaseOps Intellipedia page on SIPRNET for the CCIR...

Marines to Get High-Speed, Radar-Evading Electric Seagliders for Rescue Ops "The advantages of seagliders are particularly noteworthy for defense operations, where speed and efficiency can determine the success of missions. The Viceroy seaglider can soar up to 180 mph over approximately 180 miles. One of the standout features of sea gliders is their ability to take off and land on water. This capability eliminates reliance on traditional runways, which can be vulnerable in conflict situations. Furthermore, these electric-powered vessels can be recharged from shore and ship resources, ensuring a dependable energy source during operations. Another significant benefit is their low radar and sonar signatures. By flying close to the water’s surface, seagliders avoid radar detection while minimizing heat and infrared visibility due to their electric propulsion systems."

FAA must do better after fatal DC Black Hawk crash, agency leader says No shit. "Investigators have highlighted 85 close calls around Reagan Airport in the three years before the crash that should have signaled a growing safety problem." Again, no shit. "NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said there clearly was an issue with identifying trends in the data the FAA collects." Rinse and repeat the 'no shit.' "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said he learned that the Secret Service and U.S. Navy triggered a rash of collision alarms in planes around Reagan Airport on March 1 while testing anti-drone technology that used a similar frequency to the one used by planes’ warning systems. Cruz said that happened despite a warning from the FAA against doing it." OK, this is the first time I'm hearing this! Of course, it happened after the accident, but have we not learned anything yet?!? "The U.S. Army’s head of aviation Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman acknowledged that as of Thursday morning helicopters were still flying over the nation’s capital with a key system broadcasting their locations turned off during most missions because it deemed them sensitive." Apparently not... "The Army says the helicopter unit’s highest-priority mission is evacuating top government officials in the event of an attack." Then maybe their highest priority needs to be getting those "top government officials" to where they are going without putting them and innocent civilians into the Potomac! "Rocheleau then said the FAA will immediately require all aircraft flying near Reagan Airport to broadcast their locations. The 'ADS-B out data' is designed to let air traffic controllers track a helicopter’s location." That's a step... "Homendy said it is also important to inspect that equipment to make sure it actually works. The helicopter involved in this collision had not transmitted any location data for 730 days. When the NTSB checked the rest of the unit’s helicopters after the crash, it found eight of them that hadn’t transmitted since 2023." That's another step... "Homendy said she’s not sure what the Army was doing with any close call reports it received or how closely it was monitoring whether its helicopters violated altitude limits during their flights like the one that collided with the jetliner did. She said most of the safety conversations at the battalion level were focused on “OSHA slips, trips and falls.”" YGTBSM! Please someone tell me she got her info wrong! 🤬🤬🤬

Not even close...

Very mindful! Very demure!! 🤣🤣🤣 ‘We Will Crush You’: Kinzinger Responds to Trump’s Threat

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This was ten days ago, and I'm sure the numbers are still climbing. Just for the mathematically challenged, nearly 85% were criminal aliens and if you include the fact they were illegally in the country in the first place, that number goes to 100%! Massive ICE operation nabs nearly 650 illegal aliens in Texas, over 80% with criminal charges or convictions HOUSTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in conjunction with federal, state and local law enforcement, arrested 646 undocumented aliens – including 543 criminal aliens and seven documented gang members – during a week-long targeted enforcement operation conducted between Feb. 23 and March 2 in the Houston area to bolster public safety, national security, and border security. During the operation, ICE and its partners executed 71 criminal arrest warrants and arrested 543 undocumented aliens who have been charged or convicted of a criminal offense while they were illegally present in the U.S. including: 140 criminal aliens charged or convicted of an aggravated felony or other violent offense such as homicide, aggravated assault, or domestic violence. 34 criminal aliens charged or convicted of a sex offense or child sex offense such as aggravated sexual assault of a minor, possession of child pornography, or rape. 38 criminal aliens convicted of illegal firearms offenses such as unlawful carrying of a firearm, alien in possession of a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm. 52 criminal aliens charged or convicted of illicit narcotics offenses such as drug trafficking, or possession of a controlled substance. 51 criminal aliens charged or convicted of property crimes such as burglary or theft. 93 criminal aliens charged or convicted of driving while intoxicated. “In recent years, some of the world’s most dangerous fugitives, transnational gang members and criminal aliens have taken advantage of the crisis at our nation’s southern border to illegally enter the U.S.,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “After illegally entering the country, many of these criminal aliens have gone on to commit violent crime and reign terror on law-abiding residents. Fueled by our unwavering commitment to protect the public from harm, and united in our determination to restore integrity to our nation’s system of laws, ICE and our law enforcement partners in Southeast Texas have banded together to remove these dangerous criminal aliens from our local communities and put an end to the lawlessness that they spread.” “In just one week working alongside our counterparts from federal, state and local law enforcement, ICE HSI special agents successfully executed 71 criminal arrest warrants and made 554 administrative arrests that included illegally present human smugglers, gang members, human traffickers, child sex offenders, drug traffickers and weapons traffickers,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “These collective efforts have made our local communities significantly safer and strengthened our national security and border security. As a result, we’ve sent a resounding message to transnational criminal organizations everywhere that the law enforcement community in the Texas Gulf Coast is more united than ever and will not rest until we’ve eradicated these criminal elements from the country.”