Someone asked me how I feel on capital punishment.

I used to be all for it.

If some mad dog kills, kill him back. That's fair and reasonable. Make him or her pay for what they did. It makes sense.

Unfortunately as was most recently displayed by the fact that Kyle Rittenhouse was even brought up on charges  should be evidence that the government is not responsible enough to be permitted to take human life.

The fact that Wisconsin does not have a death penalty is immateriel. Thirty eight other states do.

A DA will bring charges on someone for pure political reasons which was demonstrated in the Rittenhouse case. A DA will bring up charges on a person simply for political/public relations reasons if he thinks it will bolster his political career.

Rittenhouse had a pretty good legal team on his side which is fine. However what about some poor slob that's stuck with an incompetent public defender because he can't afford decent legal representation? 

He's screwed, blued and tattooed. It's just plain not right.

The office of the District Attorney is often a political stepping stone and people like DAs that take a bite out of crime. People want to feel safer and when a DA can say that he' sent a lot of criminals to the hurt locker people are going to like him. He's made them feel safer and will vote for him when he runs for office later on.

Sending someone to death row becomes a feather in his cap.

Of course Mr. DA doesn't really care, even a little bit, about the innocence or guilt of some poor slob sitting in a cell on death row awaiting a visit with Old Sparky. He got his votes.

It would be one thing if the system was manned by unselfish, honest people seeking truth but it isn't. It's manned by greedy, self-serving politically minded people, some of whom would send their own flesh and blood to the gas chambers in their lust for political power.

The system can jail for life those that are convicted of murder motivated by greed, lust and revenge. If there was a mistake in the conviction they can be released and fairly compensated for their time behind bars, but you can't undo a killing.

Come to think of it, maybe we SHOULD keep the death penalty on the books for yet another class of criminals that are worse than murderers and rapists.

It should be STRICTLY reserved for those in political office, both elected and appointed that commit dishonest acts to the People and

to individuals while they climb the political ladder.

Other than that I don't feel the government is responsible enough to be trusted with being allowed to administer the death penalty.

44444444444444444444444444444

As for those that want to know "What about the Beltway snipers or John Wayne Gacy?"

What about them. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. If we let them execute them we have to let them execute anyone else that comes down the pike including innocents.

I don't want that kind of blood on my hands.

(Crooked politicians don't count.)

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

One of the things I would love to see an airline do but never will

Is load STRICTLY rear to front.

They sort of did this during the middle of Covid restrictions and it seemed to work out rather well. 

Of course they did it sort of half-assed which is to be expected. They used the  "Aisles 45 through 35 please board" now sort of thing and it worked its way up. "Aisle 35 through 25 may board now." and so forth. while it was a lot better than usual but it was still kinda slow.

Anyone that's even a little bit familiar with military jump school knows the basic drill.

STAND UP!

HOOK UP!

EQUIPMENT CHECK!

STAND IN THE DOOR!

GO!

And a string of paratroopers goes out the door in a matter of a few seconds. It's neat and orderly. 

So was loading the plane before the jump. Everyone simply boarded when their number was called.

I'd just love to see a team of Old School drill sergeants and Black Hats get an airplane loaded. It would be hilarious.

Gate 62. San Francisco International. 

"Aisles 45 to 35 stand up and SOUND OFF when your aisle number is called!"

"Aisle 45!"

"YO! Here! Present!"

"Aisle 45, GO!  Move it! ...Aisle 44 sound off!"

"Here, etc"

"Aisle 44, GO! Follow the people in Aisle 45! DO NOT get out of order! If they are too slow, push them along! ...Aisle 43 sound off!"

And so on.

"Aisles 34-25 STAND UP and sound off when your aisle is called....."

"First Class passengers STAND UP and sound off when your aisle is called!"

Needless to say, there would be some Karens and Kens that get confused and screw it up. That would be the fun part to watch.

"I...I...I don't understand..." says Ken.

"That's because you are stupid and stupid people are not permitted to ride on MY airplane! Sit the f*** down and MAYBE, just MAYBE we will let you get on last but if you board this airplane you WILL board it with your pants down to your ankles and your thumb in your mouth to show everyone how STUPID you are! And that's if you're DAMNED lucky! If you f*** up one more time I am going to gouge your eye out and skull f*** you! Now sit down and shut up!"

Enter Karen who wants to speak to the manager.

"I AM the manager. I am your mother, you father, your supervisor and I am the airplane GOD. Now either YOU shape the f*** up or get out of my gate and return to ticketing or I will have your sorry ass thrown out. You go last, after dumbass Ken over there and you better have your panties on your head and your thumb in your mouth when you board or you're gonna have to WALK to O'Hare!"

The plane loads in five minutes followed by Karen and Ken taking up the rear with their thumbs in their mouths. Ken's pants are around his ankles and Karen has her panties on her head. The whole plane laughs themselves silly at them.

Karen finally figures it out and beats a hasty retreat to her seat, sits down and buckles up. Glassy eyed Ken stumbles aaround with a lost look on his face.

The attendant hikes her skirt up to free up her legs and gives Ken a good swift kick in the ass and shouts, "Move it, $hitbird!" and Ken is seated in seconds.

Now we did have elderly and handicapped passengers to deal with and that's OK. We just added a couple of trained people to temporarily augment the existing aircrew to insure these people were carefully loaded first  with compassion, kindness and dignity and efficiently as possible before the masses got boarded.

I'd actually pay and extra ten bucks to be on a flight like that just for the entertainment value. Hell, I'd give twenty just to watch Ken shuffle in with his pants around his ankles and his thumb in his mouth and Karen with her panties on her head.

From another standpoint it would probably help to train the Karens and Kens from waiting until they get to the front of the line to make up their minds what they want at places like Starbucks.

As it stands now most of the flying I do is paid for by corporate and corporate buys the cheap seats to keep expenses down. As a result I generally get stuck boarding last along with the rest my fellow  beggars, cripples, hunchbacks, branded criminals, dwarfs and lepers. 

Boarding by ticket price is a zoo at best because there is little rhyme nor reason to is. I always have a hard to repress urge to panhandle the first class passengers as I board. "Alms! Alms for the poooor! Alms!" as I pass through the first class zone but I have managed to keep a lid on it so far.

Some high school kids did that once years ago and it was hilarious. Some of the first class passengers were amused, others were really pissed off. The attendants had a hard time keeping a straight face. 

I ran the basic idea of boarding by rows past and attendent one day and added, "Hell, at the last minute you have the computer give a printout and you could board by names."

"Someone would forget their name," she blurted out.

I DO see her point.

 

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I think maybe I'll see if I can borrow an infant for a short time.

Just long enough to take a photograph of my wife and I standing next to each other with her holding it.

It would make for an interesting Christmas card.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Re-gifting.

If you ever get the feeling a present has been re-gifted to you do EVERYONE a service and either use it or throw it away. What goes around comes around and you are pretty apt to be getting it back someday.

There is still this fruitcake floating around that my great aunt made for my Uncle Thad that served in the Pacific on a destroyer. Uncle Thad didn't want the damned thing so he sent it to Uncle Bill who was a Seabee.

The Seabees always had a burial pit for fruitecakes but Uncle Bill didn't ditch it there. Everyone that's gotten it since has wished he did. Instead he passed it on to another relative in the Pacific that sent it over to another relative stationed in the CBI theater. From there it went to Europe and got passed onto several relatives there. 

Just before the end of the war it got sent to a relative stationed Stateside and at war's end it just kept floating through the family.

I've gotten the damned thing about four times. The first time when I was a GI stationed at Ft. Carson. I almost pitched it but decided to sent it to my cousin and forgot about it. 

I haven't had it in maybe 8 years or so so I figure it's overdue and may very well show up come Christmas.

If it does, I think I'll take one for the team and just eat the damned thing because I have the constitution of a goat and it's not too likely to do anything but pass through me like a lot of the other off the wall crap I've eaten in my life. I'm just sick and tired of wondering about the damned thing.

As far as re-gifting goes, if you don't want something there's a pretty good chance nobody else does, either so save everyone a lot of grief and just pitch it. 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

A while ago someone gave me a pretty good bottle of cabrenet

and a big, long winded lecture on how I ought to save if for a fine meal of some sort and yada yada yada.

I parked the bottle for a few weeks and thought about it. The liklihood of me going through all of the hoopla of preparing some kind of a two day effort for one meal was pretty dim. I'm a cook, not a chef.

However a reservist was due home soon from Kuwait and I figured a special occasion was more important than a fancy meal. I told him to drop by for dinner as soon as he got settled and to give me a heads-up which he dutifully did.

When he called I asked him what he wanted for dinner and he laughed and said, "Whatever slop you want to dish out. After MREs for a year it's all good."

Yeah. I could get behind that. He was just looking for basic comfort food so I made up a pretty good batch of American Chop Suey which is a very, very close cousin of Chili Mac. Mine is more Italian them Mexican. Served with an excellent Italian bread form t local bakery.

I broke out the fine wine and it complimented the meal rather nicely.

There's always a lot of hoople regarding fine wines and that sort of crap but the time to drink it is when you feel like it.

I remember the date I had years ago when I lived in Kodiak. It was a simple movie date and we caught a movie at the Opium (Orpheum) Theater.

What made that date so memorable is that I smuggled in a couple of bottles of champagne with me and bought a HUGE pile of popcorn from the popcoen stand.

We watched the movie as we drank champagne and ate popcorn.

I'd bet that forty years later she still remembers that date.

Sometimes ya gotta think outside of the box, think for yourself and break the rules.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

It's not MY responsibility to clean up YOUR mess/neighborhood/whatever

I have enough problems of my own.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A while ago the BLM people were trying to get the middle class older people to will their home to generationally poor Black families.

Some wag asked me if I was going to do that and I said that I am not that cruel. I wouldn't do that to a generationally poor family of any race whatsoever.

First of all they would lose it to taxes and wind off worse than they

were to begin with.

Secondly most of them have no concept of what it is like living in the suburbs. It takes a lot of work, time and effort. No landlords to call here when the toilet plugs up or the refrigerator conks out. You're on your own and most city folks don't know how to repair things.

Let's face it, they don't understand basic suburban maintenance. Lawns must be mowed, yards must be kept up, tools must be taken care of. Too many urban dwellers don't even know how to start a lawn mower much less use one.

It's called ownership. You own it and it's YOUR responsibility to take care of it, and nobody else's.

Another thing that has to be learned is that the neighbor's lawn is not your personal baseball field, either. Play in your own yard.

Inside a few months the most perfectly maintained home will go to seed without being taken care of. Needless to say this is not going to endear you to your hard working neighbors. They bust their ass to keep up their appearances and expect you to do likewise. It's part of what makes a neighborhood like that a decent place to live. If you don't keep things up they will hate you and you will probably wonder why and blame it on the usual sad, tired excuses you used when you were back in the city.

I am not cruel enough to hand a  generationally poor person home ownership.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I am thinking of putting together a halfway decent .22 without jumping down the rabbit hole all the way.

I think I'll take a basic Ruger 10/22, get a trigger job done on it, add a decent set of sights and call it good.

I don't see myself getting into the Eley Tenex ammo, heavy barrels and all the stuff that goes with it. I don't want to end up with a $7500 Ruger 10/22 because it's just a .22 and a .22 is a .22.

I managed to keep expenses down when I was service rifle shooting and managed to do OK and I think that I used a rifle that could outshoot me which is what I was supposed to be using. The rifle could go Distinguished even though I didn't.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

"Don't you dare call that man a crayon eater.

That man is a United States Marine and you will address him as such until you put on a United States military uniform and graduate from basic training. Then and only then may you call a Marine a crayon eater!"

The kid looked embarrassed, the Marine, a Gunnery sergeant looked kind of like he wanted to stay out of it which was to be expected by a Marine SNCO.

I turned to the Marine and asked him, "Hey, Gunny! How long have ya been eatin' crayons?"

The kid looked pretty annoyed. The Gunny gave me a big grin and said to me "Nineteen years. You were Army, right?"

"Right."

The kid was pissed but that's his problem. He hadn't earned the right to engage himself in that kind of bull$hit.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I see where Best Buy has admitted that the thefts, looting and shoplifting have hurt them.

Quick fix.

Close the unprofitable stores. Run it STRAIGHT by the financial bottom line. Rob us enough times to hurt us and we're out of here.

Of course that will create deserts for food and goods but that's just part of the game. If the locals don't behave themselves they will just have to do without.

Right now a number of food retailers have either closed outright or pulled out of bad neighborhoods and the repercussions are that there's a lot of bellyaching about food deserts. In the scant few remaining food store the prices have jumped to compensate for thefts and robberies. Too damned bad.

If the people living in those neighborhoods want to clean them up then maybe businesses will return. 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

The last man on the planet

will die searching for pu$$y or batteries.

Astute observation by someone on another internet board.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Why are barns painted red?

Because after the Revolutionary war when the British packed up and went home they left behind gallons and gallons of red paint which was snapped up by Army/Navy surplus stores. The surplus stores let it go for a song.

As the farmers returned from deployments and came back to their farms that had been run down in their absence they realized the barn needed a good repainting. Being cash strapped they bought the British army surplus paint and repainted their barns with it. It became the mark of the Revolutionary war veteran.

Following this, the usual gang of posers followed suit to cash in on the glory of the real soldiers and it spread like wildfire. Barns have been painted red ever since.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

George Washington's white horse really wasn't white.

It was light grey. The reason it is called 'George Washington's White Horse' is because on the old black and white televisions the horse looked white on the six O'clock news.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Ahh, yes. Lexington and Concord.

The Minute Men got torn up badly at Lexington Green because they went toe to toe with the British.

However as the British went to Concord and marched back to Boston and got ripped to shreds by Minutemen and others picking them off as they hid behind billboard and phone poles.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

After the war the Sons of Liberty were hauled before the EPA for failure to file an enviromental impact statement before they threw the tea into Boston Harbor.

They narrowly escaped criminal prosecution. The charges were filed early in 1784 just after the war ended but the case dragged on with legal delays until well into 1787 when the Constitution took effect.

The Sons of Liberty escaped prosecution narrowly as when the Constitution went into effect it was pointed out that ex post facto prosecution was forbidden.

55555555555555555555555555555555555555555

Paul Revere was taken to trial after the war for horsing around and waking people up all night.

Fortunately the statute of limitations saved him fron a $50 fine. The war started in April 1775 and ended in in Sept of 1783. The statute of limitations for disorderly conduct was 5 years.

Back then $50 was a lot of money!

WTF. Why not? 

If the left can rewrite history then so can I.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

A pretty good sea story from my career.

About fifteen years ago I was working on a barge being dragged all over hell by a tugboat skippered by a Southern gentleman that was pretty close to retirement. When he came alongside he told me he got a call from his son, a Naval officer that was then the navigation officer of an aircraft carrier.

"My boy called me and wanted to know what kind of radar I have on the tug," he said.

"I wonder why?" I asked.

"He was in kind of a hurry. I guess it was some kind of Navy sattelite phone or something. He waned the model number of the radar. I kind of want to know myself. I'll let you know when I find out.," he replied.

Later I found out.

Seems his son, the Naval officer was talking to the skipper and said that while the carrier had multiple radar sets that could spot small aircraft and missiles thousands of miles away, they didn't have one that could do a decent job if spotting navigational buoys and small craft.

The captain asked him what kind of radar should they try and get that was designed for that.

"The kind they got on my daddy's tugboat," he replied. (He's a southern boy. Southern boys have daddies.)

"What kind might that be?" asked the captain. "If you don't know, call him and find out."

That's how the tug skipper got the call. He relayed the information to his son who relayed it to the skipper who ordered the supply people to get one MOST riki-tik.

When the carrier made their next port of call the radar distributor sent a couple of guys down and they installed the new radar.

A few days later the carrier got underway and navigated its way down the channel guided by the same kind of radar set that guided the navigation officer's daddy's tugboat.  

True story.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Too much aggravation over nothing.

An awful lot of things out there have it set up so that it's aggravating as all hell to get something done.

I guess I am eligible from my phone company for some kind of freebie.

So I try and sign in and I have to reset my password which is a nuisance to begin with because I haven't gone to the website since November 19, 1974 and I have forgotten it. So I start the reset the password process and forget to check the 'I am a human' box and have to start all over again. This time I check the 'I am human' box knowing full well that it is rather arguable according to a lot of bleeding hearts because I just told some fat, lazy stupid bastard to get a job but I digress.

So I get into the reset the password email and it sends me back to the website where I can reset my damned password even though I gave them my phone number and email address. Fine. I understand the security technology.

So after 3 tries of trying to make up a password that suits the little password checker uppers on that make sure that some clever Chinese secret agent can't sneak into my phone company website, single me out and sign himself up instead of me for some dopey contest that he can make 3USD on for the Fatherland or whatever I decide it's off to the password maker upper on yet another tab. 

Fine. I now have a password that's so good the CIA can send in TOP MEN to try and crack it and they will be unable to. 

Of course if I write it down somewhere by the next time I want to get in I will forget where I wrote it down and I'll be damned if I'll put it on a 'password manager' for  other TOP MEN to crack and steal from them.

At this point I ask myself why am I even doing this to enter a crummy contest that I have little or no chance of winning a prize I probably don't want in the first place.

Looking at the brighter side of things even if I did win the latest and greatest in new and improved cell phone technology it's going to be yet another pain in the ass. I'll have to relearn how to use it and it and from a practical standpoint it won't really be better than the one I already have.

Why did I even think of entering that contest to begin with?

Of course if the prize was a bottle of Jameson's that would be another thing entirely.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

There is just too much stupid out there regarding firearms.

I just read Hollywood's reaction to the Rittenhouse verdict and I have not heard so much inaccuracy and outright stupidity about firearms in my entire life.

What's interesting to note is that an awful lot of Hollywood is based on gun violence. The people there should at least have some idea of firearms, what they do and how they work. On the other hand I have to admit that Alec Baldwin wasn't paying attention when they tried to train him.

If they are as smart as they say they are then they should know a lot more than they are letting on and are doing nothing but speaking propaganda which is what I expect from that liberal hellhole sewer.

When I hear that an AR15 isn't suitable for hunting because it shoots too fast I know I have just listened to an idiot. It shoots one round at a time.

When I hear that it can knock down an elephant at 800 yards I laugh because there are places that it is illegal to hunt deer with because the .223 cartridge doesn't have enough knockdown power to insure a clean kill. 

Hollywood lies and when you have to lie to further an agenda then something is wrong with your agenda.

************************************

Kyle Rittenhouse is in real life the decent human being that the left claims the sainted Treyvon Martin was.

Martin was a punk that was trying to beat up George Zimmerman who may be a fool but that's not illegal or else the jails would hold a large percent of out population. Fools have rights, too and the right to self-defense is one of them.

Martin was in the process of beating Zimmerman senseless when he fired on Martin.

That was yet ANOTHER politically motivated case that had never should have come to trial.

****************************************

I think I'll finish with Kyle Rittenhouse here.

Kyle Rittenhouse was no hero as such. He is just another decent human being that got his pecker in a wringer and successfully defended himself against multiple asssailants.

I'm sure he wished no harm on anyone and just wanted to come home in one piece.

I do give him credit for a number of things.  

He kept his cool under the most frightning situation and acted effectively and probably a lot beter than a lot of trained infantrymen, Army and Marines.

He cleared a jam and got a shot off that saved his life as he was up against an armed assailant. When he did that he was under a second away from death because his assailant was planning on emptying his pistol magazine into Rittenhouse. He also used as little deadly force as needed. When he blew the bicep off of his assailant the assailant still held a loaded handgun and was as such still dangerous. He would have been more than justified giving Gaige Grosskreutz an anchor shot to render him harmless but he didn't. 

I don't know what he was thinking when he didn't anchor Grosskreutz because I certainly would have. Armed as he was he was still dangerous. He could have easily put the pistol in his good hand and shot Rittenhouse.

As far as shooting an assailant attacking him with a skateboard, the weapon of choice these days is a skateboard. It's actually a very deadly melee weapon. 

Rittenhouse went to a friend's car lot to guard it and try and protectlives and property. While on his part, it turned out to not be a very good idea, there was nothing wrong with it. He was going about his lawful business.

Like I said, he's no real hero so much as he is some poor dumb bastard that got his pecker in a wringer and fought successfully for his own survival.

Then on top of that he had to fight for his freedom in a court case that never should have come up to begin with. 

77777777777777777777777777777777777

Now the Mayor of Boston chimed in of the verdict and said ''We have no accountability." Meaning Rittenhouse walked away a free man like he was supposed to.

She's wrong. We DO have accountability. Three people attacked an honest citizen engaging in lawful business and got held accountable for their actions.

I don't see any problem with that at all. None at all.

What I DO see as a problem is that the victim of the crimes had to spend a fortune and tie up a good piece of his life defending his lawful actions. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Someone said that it's now OK for conservatives to shoot liberals. 

My answer was, "Then leave them alone. It you don't attack them they won't shoot you. Fair enough?"

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Now there is a rumor going around that the conviction will likely be reversed as soon as the mail-in ballots are counted.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I have gotten a bit smarter in my old age.

On a Nextdoor thread regarding what to give disadvantaged kids for Christmas I kept my mouth shut for once.

Someone was griping that they offered someone something and the person that received the offer wanted a certain brand of whatever. It irked me and I instantly wanted to reply but didn't.

 I did NOT post "On Christmas Eve just cut holes in his pants pockets so he has something to play with on Christmas Day."

There would have been penalty markers out for that one.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I was wrong. Rittenhouse not guilty.

Kyle Rittenhouse was found NOT GUILTY on all charges.

I had predicted a guilty verdict based on the premise that they would throw him to the wolves because of jury intimidation.

Seven women and five men had the moral fiber not to let outside influences effect their judgement and put fair play and liberty first.

Frankly, I am rather astonished.

Someone said the Rittenhouse verdict gave Biden his second colonoscopy of the day. (Supposedly Trump, Jr.)

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Fun fact

41% of Americans believe we have been visited by aliens.

36% of Americans approve of Joe Biden.

Take that for what it's worth.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanksgiving is closing in fast and I haven't even taken my Covid-19 decorations down yet!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

There it is.

While the jury is still in deliberation an MSNBC van trailed the jury bus and started shooting pictures.

Now the jury had just one more thing to worry about.

The judge ought to throw the whole thing out with predjudice.

Of course all the judge did was said they were barred from entering the courthouse.

I bear little ill will toward the photographer. I hold it against the supervisor that ordered the photographer to follow the bus. She belongs in prison for 25 years with no hope for early release or parole.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I just got this email. I love it.

Students at a local school were assigned to read 2 books, 'Titanic' and 'My Life' by Bill Clinton.
One student turned in the following book report, with the proposition that they were nearly identical stories!
His cool professor gave him an A+ for this report.
Titanic:... Cost - $29.99
Clinton :..... Cost - $29.99
Titanic:..... Over 3 hours to read
Clinton :..... Over 3 hours to read
Titanic:..... The story of Jack and Rose, their forbidden love, and subsequent catastrophe.
Clinton :... The story of Bill and Monica, their forbidden love, and subsequent catastrophe.
Titanic:.... Jack is a starving artist.
Clinton :..... Bill is a b***s*** artist.
Titanic:.... In one scene, Jack enjoys a good cigar.
Clinton :.... Ditto for Bill.
Titanic:..... During the ordeal, Rose's dress gets ruined.
Clinton :..... Ditto for Monica.
Titanic:..... Jack teaches Rose to spit.
Clinton :... Let's not go there.
Titanic:..... Rose gets to keep her jewelery.
Clinton :.... Monica' s forced to return her gifts.
Titanic:..... Rose remembers Jack for the rest of her life.
Clinton :..... Clinton doesn't remember jack.
Titanic:..... Rose goes down on a vessel full of seamen..
Clinton :..... Monica.. ooh, let's not go there, either..
Titanic:..... Jack surrenders to an icy death.
Clinton :..... Bill goes home to Hillary - basically the same thing

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Protip.

Do NOT drink gin with little old ladies.

The last time I did this I staggered walked home from he local ginmill.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

One of the things about inexpensive bourbon is how to drink it.

A lot of people do not understand basic bourbon. It is basically aged corn whisky.

Many moons ago farmers distilled corn into whisky because it was an easier and more profitable way to take their corn to marrket. The whisky was what it was. It was corn based liquor. Simple.

Now as whiskey drinkers  know the smoothest whiskies come from Ireland and Scotland. In my opionion they actually do. When I am in the mood for a truly smooth whiskey I crack a bottle of Jameson's open.

Actually American bourbon makers now produce products that are every bit as smooth as their European counterparts but personally I don't care for them.

My preference for bourbon are the less expensive brands such as Evan Williams and Jim Beam. There's a little something in these less expensive bourbons I like. It's kind of a frontier bite that let's you know about its history.

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I'm calling this one now. Kyle Rittenhouse.

Guilty of at least two of the shootings.

Not based on the evidence that exhonorates him but based on jury tampering. He can only  now hope for a hung jury. One person in twelve with the guts enough to do the right thing.

Every single one of the jurors knows what is going to happen if they find Kyle not guilty. There will be riots, the jurors are likely to suffer in some way, either physical violence, vandalism to their homes or by doxxing. 

Karen and Ken the jurors are now being faced with two choices.

Do the right thing and find him not guilty and suffer the consequences of having integrity

or

Just throw some dopey kid to the wolves and skulk away pretty much undamaged.

We are now facing trial by mob.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

When someone running a busy Special Event station with a king hell pileup

Just get in and get out.

Callsigns and signal reports and get the hell off.

The whole process should take no more than three seconds unless the SE Station wants to say something. In and out.

Nobody needs youu name, nickname or handle 'for the log'.

Nobody needs directions to your house that's eitghteen miles north of Pueblo up some dopey goat path next to the town of Outer Mongolia. They don't want to hear about your postate problems or how the kids or grankids are doing and you don't have to tell everyone their birthdays and what they're getting for Christmas.

Nobody care what you rig and antenna is or what kind od special tree it's attached to or what kind of microphone you are using. 

It slows things up and can even make someone lose out if propagation changes.

The Special Event station is looking for you call sign and signal report and that's about it. Stop being a windbag and holding up traffic. 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

More advice to young men.

Always party with people that have arrest warrants out on them because then no matter how wild the party gets they won't call the cops.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

My SSN is now (semi) officially 6.

This bull$hit of everyone and their cousin wanting your SSN has finally pissed me off.

Today I went to the Dr's office and filled out the usual form. I generally leave the SSN block blank and the recptionist and I generally go round and round. 

This time I came loaded for bear. I bought one of these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/351665185586

I had my name put on it and had him stamp my SSN as 000-00-0006.

The eBay seller sent me a funny note with it and we swapped a couple of funny emails.

Anyway, today I filled out the form and for my SSN I put in a simple 6. Ho zeroes. Just plain 6. Needless to say the receptionist asked if there was a mistake in my SSN and BAM! I whipped it out! 000-00-0006!

I knew it was over and that she had swallowed it hook, line and sinker because she said she'd have to go through all of my paperwork and update it.

As I write this I turned 70 today. 

Throw me in jail, Your Honor! Give me a life sentence. The joke's on you.

Old age give a person the headiest sense of true freedom.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Yes. Today is my birthday. I am now 70.

I'll spend today mowing the lawn and please don't annoy me with a bunch to texts.

Emial is OK.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I have decided to become a pistolero of sorts.

and dug out a .22 pistol to start shooting. I'm looking at learning to be a point shooter, a guy that can simply point and shoot.

I'm fairly decent now in that I feel comfortable that if push came to shove I could defend myself but I'm going for a somewhat different standard of excellence. I want to become a shot THROWER.

It's going to be thousands of rounds to see if I can do this.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I've written about Lobby Day 20 before and

like I've said, the subject recently came up on another website so I think I'll tell you how I think.

I was terrorfied at the possibilities of what could happen at Richmond and make no bones about it. Thousands of armed people showing up, many with one in the chamber, safety on.

What could possibly go wrong? One jerk with a 2 inch salute and a match could have created an epic panic and God only knows what would have happened. Frankly having lived through the Kent State shooting I have little faith in police training. One policeman with an itchy trigger finger could have started a real melee.

That's on top of one of our guys having a brain fart and squeezing one off although to be honest I think the police were more apt to screw up. Add to it the possibility of Antifa or some false flag operator in action and it looks like we have pretty slim odds of safely pulling off the Lobby Day 20 rally. To this day I consider it to be the Miracle of Richmond.

I fully planned on returning injured or in a box.

Anyway, I showed up at the pre rally meeting held by the people on the website I frequent and came in dressed in my usual attire of a flight jacket, jeans and a basic shirt. The whole meeting was a blur and to this day if I walked passed anyone I met there I probably would not recognize them. I've mentioned this before.

Unlike about 75% of the people that attended I was unarmed. To quote the late Sergeant Major Basil Plumley, I figured that "By the time I need a rifle there would be plenty of them laying around".

I also saw the rules for out of state people carrying arms were a little confusing for my taste and decided that the last thing I wanted to deal with was a Virginia cop that may or may not know what was/was not legal. For me it was a simple case of 'why bother?'

I had a host that was a decent guy and a licensed ham like me that had contacts in the rally leadership. We planned on the pair of us sticking together. I had a handi-talkie programmed for local use by another ham. 

If push came to shove, he'd become my battle buddy although he said his plan was to get the hell out of there the instant things went sideways. I still don't know how I would have reacted it things got crazy. As angry as I was, I may very well have stuck around and helped slug it out. Actually I probably would have stuck around until it was clear there was a winner and a loser. If the people won, well the locals could take care of the mop-up. Had they fled, I'd evade to go at it again sometime.

Still, what my plan for push come to shove and I had to try and survive was fairly simple. I would simply hide in plain sight.

Hunters and soldiers know the advantage to blending in with their surroundings. As a hunter and former soldier I was fully aware of this and decided to do just that.

My uniform for the rally was disgusting. I was clad in worn out shoes, shabby, dirty jeans, a grubby hoodie covered with a tan duck barn jacket that looked like a dairy farmer had shoveled out his barn in if for twenty five years and had finally thrown it away. I looked like a totally homeless bum. On top of that I had not shaved in about a week and capped the outfit off with an eared Elmer Fudd hat. To age myself even more I carried a very beaten up old cane that looked like it had been fished out of someone's trash.

I looked just like one of the homeless that seem to show up at every gathering because it looked like a good place to panhandle.

I had figured that if things went totally south and we were losing with all escape and evasion routes blocked I would simply throw my radio away, wet my pants, wedge myself into a doorway and pass myself off as a passed-out pants pissing wino.

In one of my pockets I had a quarter pint of Jim Beam I would pour on myself to smell drunk. Fact is I also had a half pint flask of decent cognac I would use to keep from freezing as it was brutally cold that day.

I figured I'd either be ignored or scraped up and taken to a homeless shelter if my luck held. It was my fallback escape and evasion plan.

With any luck, when things settled down I could get up and stumble off past any police lines. If addressed I'd play incoherent and mumble whatever to convince whoever I was another brain addled wino.

For a second my partner looked at me somewhat disgusted until I told him about Plan B and if I recall he shook his head.

Being unshaven makes me look older than my years and I figured that if anyone saw the pair of us walking around the outside of the crowd they would think I was my partner's farmer uncle or someone getting a tour of the big city or some damned thing.

Anyway I didn't have to do anything but walk around with a radio and occasionally mingle with the crowds.

Later when I mentioned the way I dressed that day someone asked me if I really stood a chance of successful evasion had the big hammer fallen. I told him that sometimes the best place to sleep is in the lion's mouth.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The rally itself was originally organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League. It was supposed to be unarmed but a grass roots movement put the word out to openly carry. It took off and thousands took up arms and joined in. 

In effect the VCDL had inadvertently created an armed group big enough to easily crush the state government without even a burp.

Granted, it was somewhat of a disorganized rabble but the veteran population that was there would be more than enough to leaven the loaf and make it somewhat combat effecient, or at least enough so to win even if it was from sheer mass of numbers.

When the rally broke up we simply cleaned up after ourselves, and ghosted ourselves back home. An hour afterwards there wasn't a soul left by the Capitol building. 

I hope the powers that be were paying attention.

The people organized, appeared, showed their strength in numbers and quietly went back to where they came from. They ghosted away, went home, they went to jobs, they simply returned to business and became invisible.

In short, they had appeared out of nowhere and went right back to where they came from and became invisible.

If I were a legislator I would be very, very wary of a people like that. They are everywhere. They're the people that mowed your lawn, repaired the gutter in your house, or fixed your car. It would take most of these people a single phone call to the right people to make a legislator simply vanish if they got pushed them hard enough.

On 20 January, 2020 a ghost army appeared at the capitol in Richmond, met and then returned to wherever they came from.

The next time they may not be so benevolent.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I remember making Kool-Aid as a kid.

On hot days in the summer I'd use the water from the garden hose that had been sitting around in the sun a while.

It didn't bother me at all and besides it left the Kool-Aid with that plastic, rubbery taste in it so my sisters wouldn't drink it.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Ahh, yes. The Billionaires tax.

How about 'No!!'?

Elon Musk was asked what he thought about it and he said he had better things to do with his money than the government does and I do believe Musk is right. 

Musk wants to go to Mars. Well, OK. Lets see what that entails.

You don't just hop into the family sedan and drive off to Mars. You have to find a vehicle to get there and back.  It has to be designed from scratch and that means hiring smart people because as smart as Musk is, he can't do it himself. It requires the skill and talents of an awful lot of skilled and talented people.

This means jobs, a lot of jobs from top organizers, skilled engineers and tradesmen all the way down to some guy that mops the floor. All of these people will wind up paying taxes which is fine.

All of the skilled people he will hire for this project either are already or will become successful. I know a young college freshman at Embry-Riddle looking in that direction and to him I say, "Job opportunity!".

Everyone involved is going to achieve some sort of success. People like Musk know talent when they see it and seldom let it pass through their hands. It is probably pretty likely that some of the younger people hired to do grunt work will be spotted and offered an education compliments of the company.

Everything about going to Mars will create wealth. We will create jobs for all and a lot of money will trickle down to all of us one way or another.

The things learned along the way may very well come back to the ordinary guy because things like velcro are a direct product of the NASA space program. Everyone will gain from the hard work and thinking that it takes for the human race to get to Mars.

Of course if the so called billionaires tax comes to fruition then it's likely Musk won't be able to try getting to Mars.

The money one way or another will mostly end up in the pockets of swamp dwellers with a small part of it going into the pockets of the unsuccessful that are too sick, lame or lazy to enter the competitive job market and better themselves. 

Instead of reinforcing success which is what Musk wants to do the government will use the money to reinforce failure.

Musk will create success and independence in people. The government will prop up failure and dependence on government.

Yeah. Musk is right. He DOES have better things to do with his money...like reinforce success.

Come to think about it, as far as I am concerned they ought to let Musk not pay any income taxes if he's plowing his money into such a worthwhile project.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I just posted this on Nextdoor.

My flight lands at JFK in an hour and a half and then I switch to a PIT flight and then grab a cab home. I am going to lay down on the couch and sleep for two days because I am exhausted and have not slept in three days.

At midnight London Daylight time we had to move all of the stones (except the Heel Stone) at Stonehenge 30 degrees of arc to set it back to UTC and I'm beat.

Oh, well. It pays the bills.

888888888888888888888888888

Some idiot will come along and take the bait.

The older I get the more disgusted I get with the way the world works.

They think electricity comes from magic boxes on their wall with no idea that some engineer is up at 0300 to make it happen.

They don't realize that when the Suez canal got blocked off for 10 days that the price of Chinese sneakers and Vietnamese talapia is going to go up because it now has to travel another 8000 miles to market.

8888888888888888888888888888

Update.

I was surprised because a few people with brains picked up on the thread early on and madeeif clear to the dummies they were walking into a punji stake pit.

It has turned into a rather amusing thread, actually.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Mother Swan.

One of the sets of giant's shoulders I grew up riding as a kid belonged to a former Navy PO-1, a helmsman that had stood on the wheel one time for 72 long hours on an attack transport off of Okinawa dodging Kamikazes during WW2.

He was another one of the Old School tough guys that helped me grow up. He's the one that pulled a large splinter out of my ass that I got sliding down a tree. The old salt used a pair of rusty pliers on me.

He was really a character and gave freely of his time to the local Boy Scout troop of which I was a member of at the time.

We were on a weekend winter campout once and it looked like the temperature was going to drop to sub zero and the leaders suggested we simply pack it in and go home.

Needless to say, us scouts that dimly of the idea of packing it in and the men gave in and said we could stay...BUT.

The but was they would keep there eye on us and if things got too unbearable we'd head back home. They looked vary, very wary as they read the verdict. It was close to zero and it hadn't gotten very dark yet.

Most of us had pretty good sleeping bags and the small handful that had summer bags teamed up and put one inside the other and stuffed both of themselves into it. Shared body warmth would take them through the night unscathed.

A couple of the leaders made constant patrols that night checking up on us kids. Later they said they were amazed that we managed and that they were proud of us. Still, a couple of those Old School tough guys spent a long, sleepless night checking up on us.

Later during the following day behind our backs the tired leaders were teasing each other about the long, sleepless night they had been through. One of us scouts overheard one of the leaders teasing the other and said, "Mother Swan over there said..."

That was all it took. The nickname "Mother Swan" went through the troop like wildfire and that's what we referred to him as behind his back briefly until it came out into the open.

Mr Bob Swan, former Petty Officer First Class/ Chief designee, US Navy and Old School tough guy was addressed as 'Mother Swan' thereafter by any kid that had been on that campout. All others addressed him that way at their own peril.

He was proud of us kids and proud of the nickname we gave him. We were all part of a special fraternity that lasted until the day he died a few years ago. 

About fifty years after the fact I was driving past his house and he was sitting on his porch. I stopped, got out of his car and addressed him with, "Hey! Mother Swan!" and his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY