brickhistory

Sure is a good gig if you manage to be in the group who decides what that greater good is without the citizenry voting to decide that fairly important question. Would suck to be on the outs with that group.

Time to retire the F-35. Amiright?

Question (full disclosure: not one, never gonna be one, but am curious and suspect I'm not the only one): Airline X has 10,000 pilots. Furloughs 5,000. Does that mean that line number holder 4,999 is back on the sitting reserve or short-call list? Do/can they change your domicile and/or equipment flown?

Since the library has been closed, been re-reading some of my own library: The Path Between the Seas by David Mccullough About the digging/building of the Panama Canal. Fascinating, sheer grinding work with a very high disease death rate.

Hopefully, the unmaskings keep being an uncomfortable subject for the left and the news (but I repeat myself), and will also hopefully result in some indictments. Politically, Biden is going to have to address, over and over again, why he, specifically, unmasked Flynn six days prior to being out of office. He's not an intel analyst. He's not a cop. He was the Vice-President. Why did he make such a request? Given his mental acuity due to age, it will be funny/sad to hear him answer. Not to mention, Joe's gonna have to explain why he was against Obama's decision to go get Osama. Which I give credit to that Administration for doing so. So Joe was against Gulf War I. He was for Gulf War II. And he was against taking out Osama. Helluva foreign policy track record. Not to mention the shadiness of China and Ukraine lucrative deals for Biden's son. While he was in office. Indeed, the son rode on AF2 and did business in those countries while Joe was "the portfolio manager" for them according to Obama. Edited

Exactly. The official prosecutor, DOJ, says that the investigation wasn't based on anything factual, therefore it's a invalid investigation. If so, then any alleged lie to the FBI (the agents involved didn't think he lied according to the now missing 302 - edited to remain in the original FBI agent's voice but with a different slant by corrupt Stryck and Page), is immaterial and moot legally. So why is the judge trying to act as a prosecutor? Both sides of the criminal case are saying, "Never mind." Yet the judge isn't letting it go. Why? As to your Trump tweet post - news yesterday is that the FBI and DOJ have NEVER produced a recording or transcript of the call in question. Not once. They briefed Pence on a paraphrased version of the call. So if they said Flynn lied, Pence was led to believe Flynn did so. But what if the FBI lied to Pence? Certainly reason to believe that the senior FBI folks at the time were capable of doing so - bogus, repeated FISA warrant applications, a bogus CI investigation of the incoming administration, leaking to the press, etc, etc. The FBI has removed itself from me giving it the benefit of doubt as to its integrity. Not most rank and file, I believe. But as an institution? Yeah, I'm squinty-eyed at it. Which as naïve on my part, since I, and believe most of us, will acknowledge Big Blue as behaving the same. Why would any other government leviathan be different? On the political side of this, Flynn being fired by a President is something I could care less about. Weaponizing the IC and justice system to settle political scores and/or screw your replacement President is a big deal. Because if allowed to stand, it will happen again. Regardless of party. And if it happens again to the big dogs, what does mean for the peons like us? I'm agin that.

Flynn was not charged nor plead guilty to perjury. He was charged with making a false statement to FBI agents. But the false statement is only a crime if the underlying reason the FBI was interviewing him had a basis in fact for such an investigation. Which it did not. According to FBI documents and personnel engaged with this at the time. That info was never revealed to Flynn or the court, despite it being mandatory to do so and the judge specifically ordering DOJ to provide any such. Then DOJ scoffed at the notion. And then the material was released last week. It was revealed that Flynn's interview basis was not material, therefore the lie (which the agents said they didn't think he was, btw) to the FBI doesn't matter legally. If he lied to Pence, that's between them. Both sides agreed to drop the case. The judge is now making up a charge of perjury to the court because Flynn pled guilty to the court. Twice. The judge seems to think that's perjury. Not a lawyer, but I'm fairly sure that this isn't the first time a defendant has made a guilty plea only to seek to withdraw it later. And the de facto prosecutor that the judge has appointed was a co-author of a very anti-Flynn and DOJ op-ed in Monday's Washington Post. Doesn't seem to be a disinterested party. Shenanagins on the part of the judge and most likely to be stomped on at appeal.

Those F-35s aren't going to sell themselves here or abroad...

This doesn't seem quite right: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/13/judge-appoints-retired-judge-to-represent-flynn-prosecution-256509 Same judge, by the way, who called Flynn, literally, a traitor in court and then had to walk that back with an apology. Same judge who agreed with now withdrawn DOJ counsel that "all exculpatory material was out there" as he claimed last year. Kinda disregards all the exculpatory stuff "found" in the last week. But fair and impartial. Go judiciary.

Full-size - M&P 9. Mine is in 9mm (17 + 1 capacity) but they have .40 and .45. I went with 9 so wife could handle it (sts). Concealed carry - switched from Springfield (US company, Croatia manufacture) XDS in .45 to S&W Shield in 9mm, again to match what wife carries and the fact that the .45 XDS is a snappy sumbitch and I'm not getting any younger. After a box of 50 at the range, I was done with it for the day. Whereas with a 9mm, it's 200 + per session.

Dreadnought Castles of Steel both by Robert Massie Both pretty hefty books, but I found them easy reads and fascinating accounts of the world of naval battle at around the turn of the 20th century, the building of the first modern battleship which started a massive arms race which led to WWI. Then he covers the use of those ships in combat and strategic messaging during the war. Although they are stand alone books, read them in the above order for best results

Boo-YA! https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/ap-exclusive-justice-dept-dropping-flynns-criminal-case/ The Justice Department said it had concluded that Flynn’s interview by the FBI was “untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn” and that the interview on January 24, 2017 was “conducted without any legitimate investigative basis.”

Can we quote you in 30 years? "Man," said the F-69 pilot, "those Viper dinosaurs get on my nerves..."

A-fukcing-men.

Or, after specifically asking the Deputy Director of the FBI, "Should I have a lawyer present during the interview?" and being told no, so Flynn trusted his government. Which is on him. https://youtu.be/zOXtWxhlsUg

Documents released yesterday by FBI reveal the investigation of Flynn was "to get him to lie or to get him fired." This in the notes of the then head of FBI Counterintelligence in a strategy meeting in Comey's office before the interview with agents was arranged.

Reprehensible that DOJ/FBI fought so long and hard to hide the, apparently, exculpatory information regarding Flynn. Including, and especially, the secret deal that DOJ and Flynn's original attornies worked out in secret, without Flynn's knowledge, because DOJ had found some legally threatening "discrepancies" in the law firm's operations. So Flynn's original lawyers advised he fall on the grenade in order, at least partly, to protect themselves from further government investigation. Flynn was never aware of these shenanigans. Separate and unrelated: And all women must be believed. Right? Right!?

Watched "Legend" on Netflix. Semi-true story of the gangster (Brit mafia-types) Kray brothers in 1960s London. Think "Mad Men" with a lot of the ol' "ultra-violence" added. Pretty well done, I thought.

Just finished binge watching Netflix' "Drive to Survive," a, so far, two season behind the scenes look at current F1. Season 1 dealt with the 2018 racing season. Season 2, the 2019 one. Ill-timed mentions of the 2020 racing season expectations. But a very good waste of time; largely on the personalities and money pressures vs. technical engineering or detailed racing strategy stuff. But good nonetheless.

You didn't state what your degree is in. Technical is probably more attractive than liberal arts, IMHO. Working around active flying squadrons is cool, but since you are in the "never gonna be able to do it," is that really a good choice? Seems a little masochistic since every day you'll be reminded of "no soup for you!" Although you said "Air Force squadrons" so not necessarily a flying one? Also, most, not all, but most line squadron GS positions are going to be fairly low grade - GS 7, 9, 11. A few 12s, a few 13s, maybe a 14 once in a while. Is the money at the lower grades enough for your needs? Because, generally, once you start as a GS in whatever grade, you have to do your time (ability is nice, but not always necessary in what I've seen), before moving up. And so on for each grade. Job security, but average pay. Is that for you? Contract employee of one of many companies is another route to follow. Again, kinda depends on your degree and location desired.

Americans don't like mandatory reflective belts.

Indeed. Primary tabs Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. https://lawandcrime.com/covid-19-pandemic/new-jersey-woman-kim-pagan-charged-for-organizing-protest-against-covid-19-stay-at-home-orders/ Even a state school grad can see this one doesn't pass the test...

That sure is a nice Constitution and Bill of Rights ya got there. Sure would be a shame if, cough..cough, something were to happen to it. If non-elected or even elected officials can deny some of our inherent rights, do I get to have a say? I'm pretty sure I do and will. If some here want to wave away some of my rights because they don't use/care about particular ones, do I get to wave away the ones I don't think you need? Pretty sure it doesn't work that way.

Sure, we can argue about Kung flu mortality rates. Is it 3% Is it .01%? We can b1tch about frozen PCS and money lost and families inconvenienced. We can commiserate about our comrades who had their deployments extended. But dammit, THIS is serious: https://movieweb.com/top-gun-2-maverick-release-date-delay/ Oh, the humanity...