Curiosity overwhelms me with Seattle.

People have built little blockades to reduce drive-bys over illegal activities. Katie wants them removed.

It won't be long before the locals start to organize neighborhood watches and start arming themselves to protect their homes and lives.

What's she going to do when that happens?

Double down. She will assign the police to go after the neighborhood watch types because she can't have the people taking care of themselves.

I guess she's going to have to have the police chase the neighborhood watches away. Of course that's not really much of an option because she seems to have defunded a lot of it and my guess is the police won't pay much attention to her.

If she had let the police do their job it would not have gotten to this stage.

The best thing she could do for Seattle is to find a loaded pistol and some privacy and do the right thing.

I wonder if Seattle is going to have a backlash and get some decent no nonsense leadership. Probably not. They'll just go looking for someone to blame and keep going downhill.

Eventually it will descend into anarchy and chaos and empty buildings as anyone with any sense just ups and leaves.

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

Parts are trickling in.

The headlights arrived yesterday and floor mats are due in today. The old floor mats are worn through.

The wheelskins are already installed.

After the Great Emergency Brake Disaster my mechanic went through the truck with a fine toothed comb and declared it an 8 which is pretty damned good for a 17 year old truck.

A nearby shop said the emergency brake job alone would run in the neighborhood of $3K which I found insane.

I had a 'little guy' mechanic that has done work for me before take a look at things and when he declared it to be basically a good truck I stopped shopping for another ride and decided to run with the one I already have. 

A search for a replacement ride old me prices were insane. An exact clone of what I have with 40K miles on it is damned close to what I paid for this one back in 2009! That's insanity!

So far it looks like a good choice. $2K got me the emergency brake fixed AND a new rear bumper installed (the bumper was the only sign of rust on the entire rig. The bracket was in sad shape). On top of that he rustprooofed the usual places that draw rust.

This was a reasonable deal. 

There's a spot on the front bumper where it was mysteriously whacked a few years back. Charlie Chan is still trying to solve that mystery. Also after 17 years of sunlight and weather the headlight lenses are all fuzzy and probably should be replaced. New headlights have arrived. A bumper cover, touch up paint and a few other odds and ends are on the way. 

I gave the cab a really good cleaning and when it's done I'll have a pretty good looking and good running little truck that should last me.

 

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 just occurred to me that the day after I got out of the Army

is the anniversary of the day I went into the army.

Fifty three years ago today I headed out on active duty. 

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

Fifty years ago today I was discharged from the army.

Forty four years ago my father died.

Makes for a bittersweet day.

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

Some youngster posted that he was getting more girls than us old guys. My reply?

Beat it, Sonny boy.

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 wonder what would happen if someone was the victim of someone making them late.

You board an airplane and the usual suspects create a disturbance like start a fight or something. The police are summoned and the perps carted off after the cops spend even more time trying to deal with them peacefully...or semi peacefully. 

(What they shoud do is tell them once to turn around and put their hands behind their back and if they don't administer a hickory shampoo until they either do. Settle it in court.)

The flight is delayed and you miss your connection because of it.

Your connecting flight is the last one of the day and you have to overnight at your own expense.

So you sue the bastards knowing it's going to be difficult to actually get paid. Of course the trick here is to find a lawyer that is an attack dog aond offer him 75% of what he collects for you to keep him interested.

Of course the disturbance makers are jailed and released with a small fine and no real jail time which does little to discourage further poor behavior. The ensuing lawsuit will even if the award is small. It will tie them up in court and cost them time and money.

Imagine being Joe Hoodrat ten years later. You've laughed at the judgement for ten years because you had no above the table job. You buy a lottery ticket and BAM! You find out you have just won $50K. This can't be garnished but the brand new car you bought with the winnings can be seized and sold as an asset seizure.

Suing them and having an attack dog go after their income would probably make them think twice about their future behavior.

When the system doesn't work it's generally time for the people to step up to the plate and at least try to do something about 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

General Tso

Someone was grabbing a package of General Tso chicken at the deli and turnedd to me asking rhetorically "Who was General Tso, anyway?"

"General Tso was a really interesting person," I replied. He was a peasant that joined the Chinese Red Army in 1937 as a private and shortly after enlistment his culinary talents were discovered and he was made a cook and shortly thereafter became a mess sergeant." 

"His talents in the culinaary arts and the logistics got him a commission and he was shortly thereafter promoted to colonel and then under orders of Mao Zedong was promoted to general and placed in charge of feeding the entire Chinese Army."

He created his famous chicken recipe in 1945 because immediately after the war there was a large number of American GIs in China and he thought there would be a market for the recipe he created. It was brought to the States by returning GIs."

"Huh," he replied. "I never heard of that."

I refrained from saying "Neither did I. I just pulled it out of my ass."

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 saw some kid get roughed up after taking a swing at a cop.

The parents are mad at the cop. They say "He's a good kid."

Bull$hit! Good kids don't punch police officers. The kid got off light in my book. 

What should have happened is the kid should have been beaten totally senseless and come to in in a daze in the hospital.

Not so much as settling the score but as an example to others. 

We seem to have let so much slide that returning to base values is going to require some serious horsepower to get there.

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 had a pile of work done to my pickup for fairly short money.

The thing that made me need work done was the parking brake would not go free after it was set. I had to pump the brakes and sometimes have to rock the truck to get it to free up.

Estimates from a couple of shops ran upwards of and possibly over $3000. I figured the truck was worth a little more than that but not much. It's a 17 year old truck. I started looking for a brand new second hand low milage replacement. Prices were insane. 

So I went to a guy that I know that did some damned good reasonably prices body work for me several years ago to ask him if he knew a reasonable mechanic. 

When I explained the job he said he could tackle it. Seeing how fairly he had treated me years ago I simply gave him an open checkbook with orders to fix it.

I would up with a LOT more than I bargained for. 

When he was goiing through everything he called me and reported that the truck itself was in damned good shape with a few pre-rust spots that should be taken care of quickly. I told him to go ahead. He cleaned everything up and sprayed it with rust preventative.

He also said the rear bumper brackets were in terrible shape and that the easy and inexpensive route to go was an entire aftermarket bumper kit and told me where to get one. The inside of the bumper was heavily rusted. A check with eBay got me a damned good one, a complete kit for $165 delivered. 

As for the brake, all three cables, brackets and various smalls were replaced, the drums given a 'cleanup' turning. He went whole hog.

I'm back in business. The bill was $1535 plus my bumper purchase. I was floored. I handed him $1600 and told him to keep it. He was grateful.

Personally I consider the $65 I gave him to be an investment into the future. I often do things like this because practically every time I cast my bread on the water I get back poached eggs on toast.

I asked him about the other shop's estimate. He explained that a lot of places will just cut out a good part and replace it rather than reuse it because it's faster. In the shop world it's all a money grab and if it saves them time at customer's expense than so be it. Couple that with the current long waiting lists to get into the shop and that means many shops will take shortcuts.

Long waiting lists mean that there is no shortage of customers so enter the laws of supply and demand. When that happens shops go straight to 'The Gouger's Handbook'. 

 

 

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

Come on, Seattle! You can do it!

Double down! 

With businesses leaving in droves double the taxes on the businesses that have not left!

When half of them leave, double down again and watch them leave!

Then double down on property taxes. 

With the jobs gone people will lose their homes to bank foreclosures and the banks will fail and there will be million dollar homes left vacant.

What a paradise on earth that will create! 

The now homeless can now live for free in abandoned water and electric free million dollar homes!

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

Unbelieveable! TDS at its best.

Trump is scheduled to leave office in about 2.5 years.

This idiot is stuck for life with him. Imagine being 80 years old and STILL having the president back from when you were a 20 year old stuck in your head?

You can't make this stuff up!

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 hate is people that demand answers to questions I can't possibly answer.

and of course, a fair and honest "I don't know." is unacceptable.

Usually it's when something beyond my control is happening and when I say I don't know.

"How long is it going to take to fix the whatever?"

"I don't know. I don't even know what's wrong with it yet."

"When can I use it again?"

"After it gets fixed."

"And when will that be?"

"Sometime after I figure out what's wrong with it."

"After you figure it out how long will it take to fix it?"

"As long as it takes."

"How long will it take?"

"I'll know as soon as I figure it out."

"When will you have it figured out?"

Ad nauseum until I say that I can''t get to it until I stop answering questions, although sometimes that doesn't work.

They probably grew up saying "When are we going to beeee there?" on family road trips.

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 a guy fixing my truck now

and he gave me a call asking me what to do with the stuff he pulled out from behind the seat. The truck us a single cab two door and behind the seat I have stuff stashed.

He said the stuff is currently in the bed which is fine by me.

He said he asked because some people want everything put back.

I told him to leave everything in the bed and not ruin my golden opportunity to go through it and probably get rid of much of it.

You should always take advantage of the small opportunities as they come along.

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 today I will plant my annuals.

which will make the yard a little nicer.

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

We as a people are losing our ability to think.

When you ask someone who is buried in Grant's tomb and they instantly reach for their phone it really makes me wonder.

==========================================

In other news someone was asing me why my cat jumps up on me when I flop out on the couch.

The answer is quite simple but almost nobody understands it. 

Because he is an orange cat and that's what orange cats do.

Yes, it really IS that simple.

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 morning after a teenage kegger.

I believe I was out of high school when this happened. I went to a kegger and got careless and got plastered. The kegger was in the middle of nowhere and calling home was not an option.

It was not a good idea to drive. I could have easily had an accident and even if I didn't I knew I'd get caught by Dad who would go through the roof. It took me a few seconds to come to the conclusion I was already screwed. I wasn't going to get out of this unscathed. Better to face the wrath for not coming home that night than compound it by drunk driving.

I opened the trunk and grabbed the sleeping bag and crashed out in the back seat. If I recall I woke before dawn and felt kind of cruddy so I figured in for a penny, in for a pound and rolled over and grabbed some extra shuteye. Then I got into the front seat and drove home.

Dad and Mom were in the kitchen. I walked in to an angry "Where the hell have you been?"

"If you let me explain the whole thing I'll tell you," I said.

"Pray tell,"Dad said. "Please do."

"I was at this kegger last night..." I started.

"But you're under age," Mom interrupted.

"Quiet!" Dad snapped. "Just listen. I've got this!"

"Anyway I was at a kegger last night and lost track of my drinking and got plastered. There was no phone around for at least a couple of miles so I couldn't call. I wasn't going to drive home drunk so I sacked out in the back seat. I'll take my lumps for being out all night. I can live with that but it's a lot better than drunk driving."

Dad held his hand up to silence Mom and thought a moment.

He turned to Mom and said, "We raised a dumbbell but we didn't raise an idiot. I think I'm going to sleep a little better now because he at least recognized he shouldn't be driving."

"But...he's underage."

"But nothing. You and I will talk about that later." He turned to me. Tell Mom about the Conway kid."

"Bill Conway was driving a little fast. I heard not even ten over. He probably wasn't even going to get a real ticket, Probably just a warning. When the cop tried to pull him over he panicked and punched it and tried to outrun a cruiser. He rolled it on a turn at 80 and spent so much time in the hospital he had to take his senior year over again. On the day he got out of the hospital he was handed a summons for speeding, attempting to elude, reckless driving and a few add ons. All that for simply for trying to avoid what probably would have been a crummy warning ticket."

Dad looked at me and said, "You owe us for worrying the hell out of the both of us." His voice changed into an evil tone. "I've got a little job for you when you wake up. Now get some more sleep."

When I woke up and ran into dad he simply said, "Go hoe out the crap can." It was a two minute job. I was expecting something like digging a 10 foot deep hole and filling it in.

Dad didn't litter. In the clunker he drove back and forth to work he'd toss things onto the passengers side floor. All I had to do was take the kitchen wastebasket out to the car and pick up whatever was on the floor. One time it got pretty full and he commented that it was time to hoe it out. I laughed and the term stuck. To hoe something out meant give something a quick cleanup.

When I was done he said he needed a hand with something. We hopped into the car and headed to the hardware store. I knew he just wanted to talk.

"You dealt yourself a pretty dumb hand, Kid, I'll tell you that. You should have cut way back on the beer but I guess you had to learn. Fact is you played that hand well. You wisely cut your losses instead of of just going for broke. Don't make a habit out of this." 

I think about a year later I was at a house party that was getting interesting. There was a phone so I called home. Mom answered so I told her to put Dad on. Dad answered.

"Hey I got a little problem. What if I came home in the morning?"

Dad asked me yes and no questions in case someone was listening to our conversation.

"Are you plastered?"

"Not really." 

"Close?"

"Yes."

"You probably shoulden't be driving. Sack out there...Son, thanks for calling. Better safe than sorry."

As I write this I remember that once I called home and simply said, "Pick me up at the Scituate town pier. I got a bad feeling. Don't ask."

"I'm on my way," he said. 

Fifteen minutes later we were headed home. When I got in he said, "I won't ask.  I trust your judgement."

About halfway home I simply stated that I didn't want to have to deal with acid heads and thanked him.

He said he figured it was something like that.

The Old man was a GENIUS. 

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

Tax the poor!

40% of Americans pay no income tax aggording to a quick Google search.

The top 1.5% pay over 40% of the income taxes paid.

Let's start making the poor pay their fair share.

I just said that to someone that was babbling about taxing the rich ala NYC.

They replied that nobody needs all that money.

I agreed. Nobody needs over $40,000 a year to live.

They didn't like that very much even though it's true. You don't need, for example, a new car every ten years or so.

Screw the poor! Make them pay their fair share!

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 I wil let you hear from the cat.

hyu[;pj'aws34/SDY6K,[[

He is an orange neutered male cat that is a royal pain mi the ass. 

He makes me laugh which is why I love him so much.

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 something to do today.

I am going to help stock a pond with fish later this morning.

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 went to test finally. I had gotten my lerner's permit the day after I turned sixteen and was rarin' to go but Dad had some bad news. One of his customers was a registry cop and in passing dad had learned that it was best for a new licensee to wait at east a month or two before testing unless you had a previous license from another state. The cop told him the testers generally were over rigorious to young people that showed up the day after they got their permits. So we waited a couple of months. I still was Dad's chauffeur but now it included daylight hours so I generally drove him everywhere. The first time after I got my permit I drove Dad to the Harbor to the hardware/lumberyard to pick up some trim for a project. I don't think the ink had dried on my permit when I did that. A couple months later it was off to the testing place a couple of towns over. IIRC it was a first come, first served situation and we had to wait a while. Much to my consternation Dad jumped into the back seat and started to take a nap. What was that all about? A girl was walking out with the tester to their car. She was a giggly girl that looked as nervous as a whore in church.  The two of them got into the car and left. They were gone about ahalf hour and she got out of the car excited. She had passed. Generally speaking, parents were not allowed to ride along. Probably because if a kid failed some of the parents would raise hell. The tester came over to me and when he saw dad sleeping in the back seat he said, "Oh, hell. Let him sleep." We got in and off we went. He gave directions and I drove. Shortly thereafter he started giving me a lecture about safe driving and yada yada yada. Every kid has heard the same thing hundreds of time and it's annoying as hell. What really made it suck was I was captive. I HAD to listen to it. When he got to the drinking and driving part a sleepy voice from the back seat said, "He quit doing that two years ago." The tester went into schock and indignantly and pompously snapped "In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you have to be sixteen years of age to operate a motor vehicle and twenty one years of age to buy liquor!" I calmly answered "In Montana you can get a driver's license at fourteen and drive at any age so long as a licensed driver is sitting next to you. It's rural there so Montana permits it." "What were you doing in Montana?" he asked. "I have an uncle that raises horses and I spend time with him," I replied. I did have an uncle that raised horses but he lived in Michigan. I never said my uncle lived in Montana. I just let him add 1+1 and get 3. "He said drinking and driving?" said the tester. "Oh, that. They don't have an open container law there.  One time the licensed driver handed me an almost empty beer and told me to finish it because he wanted to watch me embark on a life of crime. I did. Later in a discussion Dad told me that if I never did it again I could tell people I quit drinking and driving when I was fourteen. I think it would be pretty cool to be able to tell people that when I'm forty so I never did it again and I won't. It's too good of a story." He shook his head. "Well it's illegal here." I bit my tongue. What I wanted to say was 'So is cutting the little tags off of a pillow' but why pick a fight? I relaxed a bit and figured the lecture was over. It wasn't. He continued telling me about the importance of following all the traffic signs. A sleepy voice was heard from the back seat. Dad went in for a headshot. "That boy has been trained very well and be more than careful  to obey the rules and regulations because I pointed out that most felony arrests are initialted with a simple traffic stop." He didn't know what to say for a few seconds and then turned to me and simply said, "Listen to your father. He's right. Take us back to the office." I made a turn and started back. Dad was now seated upright. I spoke to the tester. "There's one thing. This car has an automatic transmission. The other car at home has a manual and I usually drive that one with Dad. I don't want to get a restricted license," I said. He asked why we had not taken the Falcon. dad responded. "Because his kid brother left a striper on the back seat floor and the car stayed sealed up all weekend," Dad said. "I'll drive it back and forth with the windows open for a few days and then we can retest if we have to." Actually my brother had left a striper on the floor whe he was bringing his fishing tackle back inside the house but had pickked it up a few minutes later. The car went unused all weekend. "It won't be necessary," he said. He turned to my father. "I'll take you at your word." I'm sure he had visions of being stuck in a car that smelled of rotting fish and that by just not checking a box he would dodge a bullet. The real reason we didn't take the Falcon was that it was a rat. A crap can, a clunker, a shitbox, a real puss bucket. The only thing on it that was reliable was the cigarette lighter. It has a manual choke and a prescribed litany to get it started. The shifter was sticky, so was the clutch and it rattled. It should have been sent to the boneyard long beforehand. It served only two legitimate purposes. It took Dad back and forth to work and it was perfect for teaching me to drive on. That was it. As we drove back to the office he was filling out my paperwork. dad and the tester found a connection. The tester had served as an airplane mechanic and dad had been a bombardier during the war. They chatted as I drove. When we got back the tester handed me my paperwork. The dreaded 'Automatic transmission only' box was unchecked. I was good to go. Ten years later. I had gotten out of the Army and was home. Dad and I were having a beer and out of nowhere he asked me about drinking and driving. I said I had quit when I was fourteen. "Really?" "Yeah, really," I said. "It's too good of a tale to ruin it over a lousy beer." He laughed like hell. "Remember the fliver?" I asked. More laughter. He almost snarfed. "There were a couple of times I could have gotten rid of that and replaced it for free but I decided to keep it," he said. "It was such a shitbox that it was the perfect car to teach you to drive on. I figured if you could drive it then you would be able to drive anything. Besides..." "Besides what?" "Besides I never saw anyone have so much just plain fun as you when you were driving the damned thing! It showed on your face. I don't think I ever saw anyone as happy as you behind the wheel of that of crapcan. " Five year later he was gone. He left us too soon.

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

Further proof Muslims don't assimilate.

Recently I saw a couple of Muslims saying that MacDonald's should be shut down because it doesn't sell halal meat. 

That in itself tells me they would not assimilate very well. They want the rest of us to change to suit them.

WRONG! Ain't happening. Go away.

If they really understood how things work they would have said. "JOB OPPORTUNITY!" and looked into opening a halal restaurant or maybe a Halal burger joint.

One thing about non Muslims, most don't care if they eat halal meat or not. They would probably find non Muslim customers on top of Muslims and it's likely they would do pretty well, depending on the location of their business.

--------------------------------------------

A while ago a Swiss butcher got popped for selling pork that was marked as halal veal to Muslims. He'd sold over 3.1 tons over a 3 year period in Zurich. None of his customers were the wiser.

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

An open letter to Chris DeLuzio.

Who is my congresscritter. I'm calling this one the way I see it.

Apparently he's a USNA graduate that pulled a five and dive. He graduated, served his time in the Navy and once his minimum payback requirement of five years was up he left the Navy where he had kept his nose clean and was promoted pretty much on schedule. He then went to law school focusing on voting rights, election security and technology. That sounds to me like a pretty good education for someone that wants secure elections. It also sounds like a good education for someone that wants to steal elections. Hmmm.

The USNA  was established as a school for career officers however DeLuzio decided to bag it when his obligatory time was up. In effect this means he took up a slot that probably should have gone to someone planning on making the Navy/Marine Corps a career.I'm sure many of his classmates still serve the Navy/Marines proudly as senior officers. Whatever.

One of the things they study at Annapolis is the 1954 classic movie The Caine Mutiny, based on the novel by Herman Wouk. Captain Queeg is played by Humphrey Bogart. It's a study into duty, morality and leadership. Most of the movie is about the things leading up to the mutiny and the ensuing courts-martial. 

Queeg came aboard the Caine as a worn out, tired, nervous by the book officer that was assigned to captain the Caine and the officers start trying to undermine him pretty much at every turn. Queeg came to the officers asking for help and they turn their backs on him. Rather than try and help Queeg be successful they undermine him at every turn. The officers took the cowardly route. They laughed at him behind his back and ignored many of his orders. They felt he was not good enough to be their captain.

We have a duly elected president that won 77.4 million votes but it seems he's not good enough to DeLuzio's  president. Who asked him if he was good enough? 77.4 million voters thought he was when they elected him and immediately he and others decided that what may be good enough for 77.4 million Americans isn't good enough for you and your party. So you act like one of the officers on the Caine, Tom Keefer. 

When you went to Washington you instantly forgot about who put you into office and immediately started to march in lockstep with whatever the party wanted you to do. 

You have been an embarrassment to Pennsylvania. At presidential speeches Pennsylvanians stand for young men fighting brain cancer. We stand for the parents of a murdered daughter. We stand for a young person selected for the USMA at West Point that is following his father's footsteps. We stand to put citizens over illegal immigrants. Instead you chose to sit on your sorry ass. I am embarrassed to have such a party ass kisser person as my congressman. 

I may disagree with the way John Fetterman votes sometimes but I'm proud to have a man like him as my senator because he puts the country first. Unlike the officers of the Caine (and the rest of the congress Democrats) he wants the current president to be successful because he wants the country to be successful. He has integrity. Fetterman want's the current president to be successful because he wants the country successful.

The pimplebrain seditious stunt you any your buddy-pals pulled as an effort to demoralize our servicemen should have had you jailed. When I served we attended classes on the UCMJ once or twice annually and current servicemen have told me that the services still do. As a junior officer you probably gave UCMJ classes.

Personally I think the six of you were testing the waters to see if you could pull off a mutiny or even a coup to have the president removed but that's just my opinion. Prove me wrong, Mister Keefer.

The grand jury gave you a no bill because you feigned innocence. Much like the charge of malicious compliance it's a pretty hard to prove. You squirmed out of those charges rather nicely. I expected no less. Just like Lieutenant Tom Keefer out of the movie.

I see where you want us to pack up, come home and leave the Iranian situation unfinished. Truth is the war has been in the making for 47 years, long before you were born. Seven presidents have kicked that can further down the road and the current president decided to pick it up and deal with it once and for all based on the ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure rule. Letting Iran get nuclear weapons and a delivery system means an almost instant attack on Israel and probably the United States. If we leave now we will eventually have to return to finish the job and that means more casualties and expense.

So far casualties have been exceptionally light. As of this writing we have lost 15 servicepeople. To put it in perspective, during the length of the war Chicago has suffered 99 murders. President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are doing an incredible job of taking care of something that should have been dealt with decades ago.

Yet I have the feeling that you would rather have our services lose two aircraft carriers and three divisions of out troops just to be able to embarrass a sitting president. In fact I have the feeling you have turned your back on your alma mater and your former classmates, some of which are currently serving. You have just bitten the hand that gave you a start in your career. I see how you are.

You belong to a political party that has a simple one plank platform, hate Trump.

You ought to take a lesson from John Fetterman.

I can't speak for him but it would probably be a safe bet that he voted for Kamala Harris and realized that his girl lost and accepted it. He realized he was representing a state that voted for Trump, accepted it and just decided to carry on and do what he could for the Commonwealth and the Country. He appears to have rejected the Democratic party's one plank platform and is voting for the betterment of all as he sees it.

I may disagree with many of Fetterman's ideas but I respect him.

I am one man. Still, I see what you did. You're just like one of the officers that stuck it to Captain Queeg.

Here's a freebie. The Caine Mutiny.

Needless to say, Trump isn't a Queeg. He's a competent president. 

Treat him like one. Stop trying to make him fail. By doing so you're trying to make the country fail. Listen to John Fetterman and start trying to make the country better instead of dragging it down. 

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 said that got me booted from Nextdoor.

was to some leftist that was defending inner city shoplifters. He was pointing out that cosmetics were expensive and that the women needed them to attract men.

My reply was 

NEEDED? No they don't need cosmetics to attract men. Just wait until the fleet is in and go to the club about 45 minutes before closing time and they can get all the men they want. Just bring a paper bag with you.

That one stirred up a pretty good $hitstorm. The female screeching was epic.

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

Learning experiences

The price of rolling stock has gone through the roof and pickups are insanely expensive now. Maybe it's fallout fromt Obama's cash for clunkers. Who knows?

My current ride I was trying to get a full 20 years out of but it needs some pretty expensive work done to it. I was curious if it was time to repair or replace. I started looking around in the used department because the last thing I want is a brand new vehicle. If you have read this for any amount of time you will know that I like my machinery simple. 

My pickup is a 2009 and I have found two low mileage clones about the same age as mine and they want $2000 less than I paid for mine in 2009! 

I'm just going to patch the current ride up and keep it for a while longer. My original goal was for it to last for 20 years and we shall see what we shall see.

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

OMG! This goes back to 2009!

I bought a Y2K (2000) pickup brand new. $11K pretty much out the door. 

By 2009 it had rusted out and Toyota more than honored their word regarding rust issues. They bought it back for IIRC a little over $7500. I was amazed.

Kudos to the woman that was responsible for handing me the check! She chose NOT to hand it to me at the dealership. She called me and asked me if I wanted to pick up the check at a nearby fast food joint to keep the wolves at bay.

When we were sitting down doing the paperwork she mentioned that she did this to keep the vultures (salesman) from trying to prey on people with a check in their hand.

I asked her if she would have been uncomfortable if I had put a .45 automatic on the table at the dealership to keep the vultures away.

She burst into laughter and told me "Not at all! I would have loved to see those salesmen take a look at a handgun on the table and run off!"

Every now and then you meet the right woman.

 

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

Gas grilles are a joke.

They rust out unless you keep them inside and if you do it takes up precious garage space.

I bought one years ago and it only lasted a few seasons before it rusted out. Fire and steel cause oxydation. Of course I disposed of it when it wore out. 

About a week or two after the grill got hauled off by the scrap guy I was driving through a neighborhood and saw a gas grille in a front yard with a sign that said, "Free. Still works" on it.

I snagged it and took it home and it lasted me three years. 

When it died it was in mid spring and lo and behold I found another one that worked that the owner was trying to get rid of. 

This became my cycle. When early to mid spring came around I simply kept my eyes open and managed to keep myself in decent working grilles ever since.

There's a new one in the grille spot and the old one is on the curb awaiting one of the friendly local neighborhood scrappers to cart it off.

Why bother buying new when used is so cheap.

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