M2

Time will tell how well they hold up...

When Trump throws out the NFA, GCA and FOPA as being unconstitutional (which they all are!), I will give him full credit for supporting and defending the Constitution! By the way, I would have credited Biden or Obama if they did the same, but neither did!

AI is making Hollywood, and especially "actors," irrelevant...

OK then...

Saigon was falling. President Ford was playing golf. By March 1975, the situation in Vietnam, and South Vietnam specifically, was dire. Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu, the last in a long line of military dictators propped up by the United States was, according to historian Edward Rasen, “making decisions based on his daily astrological chart, while Graham Martin, U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, had terminated daily CIA briefings, threatened to ‘cut the balls off’ CIA Saigon station chief Tom Polgar, and was becoming increasingly detached from the reality on the ground.” Amid the rapidly accumulating military losses in South Vietnam, President Gerald Ford was in Palm Springs, California, on an eight-day Easter holiday. Staying with his golfing buddy, Fred C. Wilson, founder of the Trans World Insurance Company, Ford played several rounds of golf, including one with Bob Hope, Leon Parma and William G. Salatich, president of the Gillette Company. On March 31, 1975, Ford dodged reporters by breaking out into an all-out sprint when asked by a reporter what he was doing about the “military losses of the South Vietnam Government,” according to a report by the New York Times. Receiving a report on April 5 from Gen. Fred Weyand, Army chief of staff and former commander of the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV), who had just departed Saigon after assessing the situation, the president was told amid the luxe background of Palm Springs that “the current military situation is critical and the probability of the survival of South Vietnam as a truncated nation is marginal at best.” Just 19 days later, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissenger, in an urgent cable to Graham Martin, U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam, wrote that his “ass isn’t covered. I can assure you I will be hanging several yards higher than you when this is all over”... Full article at title link

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."