Blog
Law and Order
Status of the FBI
I've been around long enough to know that the FBI hasn't always gotten it right in some of their investigations over the years, but this, direct from the Director, "Stonetear" stuff seems to suggest that the FBI doesn't really care about the truth any more.
[S]tunningly Comey appears almost disingenuous about the action of Paul Combetta (it makes no difference to Comey) where Combetta scrubbed the postings in an attempt to cover-up/hide the original intent of the document manipulation (Sept.20th).
When questioned about whether he would re-open the investigation given this information Comey gave no response. Even more alarming is Comey admitting the influencing agents behind the request to Combetta were most likely Cheryl Mills and Hillary Clinton’s legal team during their conversations on July 23rd and 24th 2014.
The Clearest (No Spin) Summary of FBI Report on Hillary Clinton Email
UPDATE: It has been revealed that this FBI so-called "investigation" did not even get original documents; they based their 'conclusions' on redacted copies.
“You’d have to be a loon not to question the integrity of [Comey's] investigation. It’s so blatantly obvious,” [former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova said]. “This was like a cheap prize fight and he took a dive.”
Based upon what I have seen, I'm inclined to agree! The FBI, being human, has probably never been 100% impartial, but this seemingly blatant disregard of physical evidence, e.g. ignoring circumstances that disclose mens rea, makes a person wonder.
MORE UPDATES TO THE SAGA:
Comey made the 25 agents who worked on the case sign nondisclosure agreements. But others say morale has sunk inside the bureau.
“The director is giving the bureau a bad rap with all the gaps in the investigation,” one agent in the Washington field office said. “There’s a perception that the FBI has been politicized and let down the country.”
Comey has turned a once-proud institution known for its independence into one that bows to election pressure, hands out political immunity to candidates and effectively pardons their co-conspirators. He’s turned the FBI into the Federal Bureau of Immunity and lost the trust and respect of not only his agents but the country at large.
"Federal Bureau of Immunity"?
How many more American institution's will be trashed at the hands of the depraved?
A Retired FBI Agent Addresses James Comey on the Hillary Clinton Investigation
The FBI re-opens the investigation!
There are 3 competing theories as to why [Comey] might be doing this now.
On the day we find out that Hillary had her maid print out classified emails the FBI tells us there's still nothing to worry about. -Rick Moore
The insidious nature of corruption is that, like leavening, a little bit leavens the whole loaf.
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Dogs
Golden Perfection
If Golden Retrievers didn't shed, they'd be the perfect companion.
But they do, and they are!
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Baseball
The 2016 National League Central Division Champion Chicago Cubs (.636) are getting all geared up for post-season play.
Meanwhile, over in the American League, Nick Martinez of the Texas Rangers (.592) shows everyone how the West will be won!
Focus!
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Law and Order
Peace is The Goal
The following video is a dramatization of an event that actually occurred, and it illustrates the reason why police officers take immediate and aggressive action toward suspects that don’t comply with lawful orders—by showing what can happen when things are allowed to escalate.
A police officer nowadays most likely won’t, nor should they, let a suspect do anything that could result in the suspect's getting the upper hand. The penalty can be severe.
On Monday, January 12, 1998, near the end of his shift, Deputy Kyle Dinkheller of the Laurens County Sheriff's Office (LCSO), state of Georgia, pulled over motorist Andrew Howard Brannan, for speeding. A verbal confrontation escalated to a shootout resulting in Brannan murdering the Deputy. Dinkheller's murder continues to get national attention (e.g., training in police academies) because the stop and shootout were captured on a personal video recorder Deputy Dinkheller had placed on his patrol car dashboard.
It’s not a game, and there are no Marquess of Queensberry rules. The law gives a police officer the benefit of the doubt, and allows the use of deadly force—even in cases when the suspect was unarmed—when reasonable.
The attempt, by some politicians, to use incidents like this to benefit from racial unrest is the personification of deplorable.
Epilog: Andrew Howard Brannan was executed by lethal injection at 8:33 p.m. (EST) on January 13, 2015. He was 66 years old at the time of his death at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison near Jackson, Georgia. He made a final statement, in which he said "I extend my condolences to the Dinkheller family, especially Kyle's parents and his wife and his two children" and "I feel like my status was slow torture for the last 15 years. I had to say that with them here. I have to tell the truth. I'm certainly glad to be leaving." A pastor then delivered a prayer, and Brannan was executed. Reference.
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History: Boston Light
Little Brewster
Wednesday, September 14, 2016 marked the 300th anniversary of Boston Light — the nation's first lighthouse — on Little Brewster Island, located about 9 miles East of downtown Boston.
The Light was manned with civilian "Keepers" until the U. S. Coast Guard took over the Lighthouse Service in 1941. The following years saw a Coast Guard crew manning the light until it was automated in 1989. Following the September 11, 2001 Islamic attack, the active duty Coast Guard personnel that had been assigned to the island were relocated to meet the needs of Homeland Security.
In September 2003, Sally Snowman was appointed as the new civilian keeper -- the first civilian keeper since the Coast Guard took over in 1941, and the first woman keeper in the lighthouse's long history.
Still an active Aid to Navigation, Boston Light has since received periodic maintenance, by off-site CG engineering personnel assigned to work with the civilian keeper, to ensure the facility is sufficiently maintained.
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History and Politics
Powerglide
The current cliché du jour being used by a certain political campaign about "powering through" their difficulty, caused me to wonder if some people really know what power is...
Having grown up shifting gears, I entered the world of “automatic” transmissions with a “Powerglide” coupled to a 283 c.i. V-8 in a 1960 Chevrolet. Looking back, that transmission was one rugged piece of gear; it took a lot of abuse, with never as much as a whimper, during the 90,000+ miles that I put on that car. Gas mileage? That’s another issue…
There were two primary versions of the Powerglide transmission: the "Cast Iron Powerglide", the type that I had in my ’60 Chevy, was marketed until 1963, and later the "Aluminum Powerglide" where the case and several of its other parts were made of aluminum.
The Aluminum Powerglide is still used today as a racing transmission of choice, mainly for the fact that it shifts only once — and for its extreme durability. It is also possible to purchase all the parts needed to build an Aluminum Powerglide, from scratch, from most racing parts vendors.
Powerglide transmissions still have a strong following in drag racing due to their strength and simplicity. They are also popular in mud racing and monster truck racing.
Robert Campisi set the World Record for the fastest run using a Powerglide transmission, clocking 5.95s at 260 mph in September 2011.
The best ability is reliability… The ‘old' Powerglide can handle it. And, there isn't anything political about it!
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Seamanship: Jacklines
Can we call it "Jacktrack"?
At sea, falling overboard is one of the leading causes of death in boating. Fastening oneself to the vessel with a safety harness reduces this risk, but finding a convenient and reliable place to attach a harness tether can sometimes be a problem.
A jackline is a temporary line that is strung from the vessel's bow to a point near the stern to which a safety harness can be conveniently clipped on, allowing a crew-member to move about the deck safely when there is a risk of falling or being swept overboard. Nylon webbing is normally used for jacklines, as the webbing lies flat on the deck and won't roll under foot like a round line would.
Harken has introduced a more permanent, built-in solution to the problem with what might be called "jacktrack." Harken calls it their Tight Radius System (TR-31).
This would be ideal for vessels that normally venture offshore.
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Homeland Security
Fighting The War on Terror
Sunday, September 11, 2016, marked the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 Islamic attack on America.
It has been calculated, if you can conceptualize this, that the subsequent cost of fighting the war on terror (WOT) for these last fifteen years has been $30,000,000 per hour.
Something that has apparently not been calculated is an answer to the question: what part of the so-called "success" in interdicting the enemy within our borders is due to our having an armed citizenry? I would guess that a significant reason for the success of our national security is due to our citizen's right to keep and bear arms. How much of the WOT $30,000,000/hour price tag has gone into equipping and helping law-abiding citizens improve their marksmanship skills? Very little—if any.
Instead of government support for armed citizens, we see politicians and misguided faction's within the bureaucracy scheming to disarm the citizenry. And, the cost of fighting those schemes should be added to the overall WOT total, because the same people are paying the bill for it all.
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Firearm Safety
Outcome Based Education
A Tampa police report says Joaquin Mendez, 23, put on the [bulletproof] vest late Saturday and "wondered aloud whether it still worked."... his cousin, Alexandro Garibaldi, 24, pulled out a gun and responded, "Let's see."
Can anyone not guess the outcome of this?
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Government
Black Markets Matter
Be it by Volstead Act or fiat... Anyone interested in the dynamics behind how a corrupt bureaucracy goes about creating a black market should add this video to their list.
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Politics
Town Without Pity
Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Tuesday his department is doing all it can to combat violence rooted in “impoverished neighborhoods” where “people without hope do these kinds of things.”
“It’s not a police issue, it’s a society issue,” Johnson told reporters outside police headquarters after a long weekend that saw 65 people shot, 13 of them fatally.
“Impoverished neighborhoods, people without hope do these kinds of things,” he said.
Hope? Isn't that what was personified in 2008?
Maybe it's time to try something else.
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Seamanship: helmsmanship
Telltale$
This J/122E scene was captured by a Garmin VIRB XE with marine G-Metrix provided by an onboard Garmin marine electronics network. The J/122E is equipped with 3x GNX 120 on the mast, 2x GNX 120 and 1x GMI 20 above the companionway and a GPSMAP 7410 at the helm. There is a gWind Race at the the top of the mast and a GST 43 transducer in the hull for boat speed.
It's a good illustration of the interactive relationship between heading, true wind, apparent wind, and boat speed.
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2nd Amendment v. "Gun Control"
The Truth About Guns
BOOK REVIEW: ‘The War on Guns: Arming Yourself Against Gun Control Lies’
It has been said that a lie told often enough becomes the truth, and a similar phenomenon is overwhelming the gun debate in America. Oft-repeated untruths have formed common beliefs that often sway the debate about firearms. Gun-control advocates have learned that their exaggerated claims are likely to go unchecked by a largely sympathetic media, allowing them to control the narrative and shape public opinion. . . .
Throughout this election season and well beyond, gun control is certain to remain among the most controversial and hotly debated issues facing our country. Mr. Lott provides an invaluable service to proponents of gun rights by providing statistical proof that their policies are superior to others being proposed. But perhaps the greater service is to undecided Americans aiming to look beyond empty rhetoric and tired talking points to develop their own informed opinions based on legitimate facts and data. “The War on Guns” provides them the opportunity to do so.
An excerpt from the book:
I have heard people like Shannon Watts and her "Moms Demand Attention"[ sic ] group try several times, to no avail, to discredit John Lott's work; no doubt they, and others, will keep trying with the same results.
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Politics
The Fall Card
The second presidential debate, scheduled for Sunday, October 9, 2016 will be a "town meeting, in which half of the questions will be posed directly by citizen participants and the other half will be based on topics of broad public interest as reflected in social media and other sources." It will be moderated by Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper, and will be held in the barbican of liberalism known as Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
I can hardly wait to hear some of the questions...
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Baseball
Chicago Cubs!
Still on top at .644!
Addison Russell shows the kind of hustle that will get his team to the World Series...
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