Missed goals

 You know, I was pretty exited to have written on here every day for a year straight, but life just ends up happening. I got hit head on by another driver which broke my foot, opened up my knee, and shattered the cup of my pelvis that holds my leg in place, as well as cracking both sides of my jaw, which saw me in the hospital for over two weeks, and I'll be in a rehab facility for another 6 or so weeks. 

So, that's why things have been quiet around here for some time, and unfortunately, it may continue to be so for a while as I learn to walk again and otherwise recover. As things become less painful and I'm able to focus a little better, I'll start writing things on here again. 

Kill 'em all (thanks to Metallica for the title)

I have generally been keeping away from most domestic politics and news on here lately, but I was utterly flabbergasted by the last week's speech by our former Vice President. He openly called Trump and his followers as a "clear and present danger to the United States" which is unprecedented, as that is president speak for open war. 

In not so many words, he has said that there is no place for political violence in America ever, but has openly condoned such act before by the groups on his side before and in this same speech is calling for it happen to those who support or have supported Trump, which is nothing less than state sponsored terrorism itself. He says a peaceful transition of power and the discussion of opposing ideas needs to be be encouraged, unless you are a Trump supporter, then you are is in his words, "unacceptable".

In the end gives some meaningless platitudes about unity and peace, but it rings pretty hollow after calling half of America domestic terrorists and calling for violence against them. I can't help but also feel like this was meant to be intentionally provoking to the other side, I'm just shocked that he was willing to be so inflammatory to such an unprecedented and insane degree, even with his feckless mental condition.

So, as an american who voted the wrong way, can read English so can confirm there was election meddling, I'm armed, I voted for Trump, and will gladly vote for Trump again, and I guess because of Biden I am now the domestic terrorist/extremist he is warning about, so to his speech I say:

The End of Grand Theft Auto

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages (and if you go by some other pronoun, I don't really give a crap), we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of the GTA games into irrelevancy and worthlessness.  

In case you aren't into gaming, or live under a rock, the entire GTA franchise is meant to be a hugely over the top parody of American culture, people, and locations that is supposed to be hugely sarcastic, nihilistic, and insulting to just about everyone. So when I see shit like this:

Rockstar Games Cleaned Up Its Frat-Boy Culture — and Grand Theft Auto, Too

and this:

WOKE" GTA 6 IS THE BEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO THE FRANCHISE

Where the makers of the game go out of their way to say that the new GTA entry is going to be far more "culturally sensitive", all I can think of is this: 

And this:

So, Rockstar Games, you've already really tried hard at killing the culture and game with GTA V, the only crappy one in the series so far, with wallet raping micro-transactions and the most limited gameplay and features, all while insulting the fanbase. 

Now you have sealed the deal with making your new game suck even more while giving the middle finger to not only the fans, but to the very point of the game, making it the complete opposite of what it's supposed to be, so I won't be buying it at all and go screw yourselves. 

Now, the game isn't out yet, so I could be completely wrong, but with the trend set by GTA V, and the wokeness of other industries lately, I hold no hope for it at all.

It could have been: the Dirty Harry video game

It's another month, and I have to give a big hat tip to Razorfist for reminding me about this one when listening to one of his streams a while back, and motivating me to make a post on it. 

Back in the early 2000's there was a little video game developer studio called The Collective, which was given the rights to make an official Dirty Harry video game and was to be published by Warner Bros. Now, before I go any further, you'll have to put on some music to read the rest here. 

The developers described it as being set in the time period between the first two films, Dirty Harry and Mangum Force and was meant to have an original storyline to give more depth to the character of Harry Callahan as you play him. 

The game was to feature a fully free-roaming/open world 1972 San Francisco, which would have been pretty amazing for the time, and the devs stated along the lines that the city of San Francisco would be a character unto itself. 

The other only known aspect to the gameplay was to be that you had to straddle the line between rouge and good cop. With the devs planning to have reactive AI for both crooks and cops that would react to the player's choices. The idea being that if you were too soft on crooks, they may not take the player (Harry Callahan) seriously, but if you were too brutal, it will put you in trouble with the police chief.

Unfortunately, the studio was having financial troubles and the game was cancelled back in 2007, which was not very long into it's development, and the studio went under. 

I can't begin to tell you what I unspeakable things I would do for this project to be resurrected and fully realized. Can you imagine if they had different crimes you follow like storylines based on the book series, or I would still love it if you just played through alternate versions of the first three movies. 

Holy freaking awesome sauce if they could get all those stories into a game.

Hell, just to have a game with a fully realized early 1970s San Francisco that actually feels alive would be amazing just by itself (Watch Dogs 2 was a boring piece of crap that doesn't count). Also, seeing the success of games like LA Noire makes me think that a far more politically incorrect and action oriented version starring the famous Harry Callahan would be nothing short of amazing.  

Though, knowing studios these days, I have no hope of it ever actually happening, as they would never be able to properly capture the political incorrectness and would likely have to pair Harry with some minority, oppressed woman that always does the job better than him and puts him in his place as a racist bigot all the time and lecturing the player on a constant basis to push "the message". On a related note, can you imagine how cool a Death Wish video game would be, if someone could get it right? To quote Harry himself, "Nothing wrong with shooting as long as the right people get shot."

Anyways, there was never an official gameplay trailer released, but a teaser trailer with assets planned to be used in the game was created for the 2006 E3 show that you can watch below. The really sad bit is that it still completely sells me 110% on the concept, despite the visuals being pretty dated nowadays.  

In addition to the usual kind of post

I did go to the Hill AFB air show with the wife and my brother in law.  The show was good overall, with a surprisingly good display by both the F-35 and the Rhino. But, it was disappointing to see there was no display/demo for either the A-10 or the F-22, both of which just did a quick fly-by and left.  Also, the Thunderbirds were thoroughly underwhelming this year, and didn't seem to put on anywhere near as good of a show as I had seen from them in previous years. But, here's a crappy, grainy, cell phone photo of the legacy flight of the P-51D and F-35A that I took while there.

I'm calling it: the Russians are effing retarded

 A couple weeks ago I was having a discussion with some friends about why Russia has decided to commence the invasion of Ukraine. I stated that I think it's because they instilled a KGB agent as their leader and they are under the delusion that the Soviet Union should make a comeback in a big way, as that's the only power system they like. 

I remember hearing from someone much smarter than me, something along the lines of: tyrannical/radical leaders aren't the source of the extremism of the populace and they are not exerting their influence on the populace. Rather, they are brought about by the extremism and sentiment of the populace at large. So by that logic, the Russians can not be saved and they are too stupid to get or allow freedom in any form. Exhibit A:

So, if that is the opinion of the average Russian, we should nuke them while we have the chance. As long as they are at their current level of corruption, we shouldn't fear any retaliation, as the fuel in their ICBMs are probably replaced with water at this point. So in that spirit:

So this is the future rifle? Well, it kinda sucks.

Spoiler alert: they settled.

Just heard the news not too long ago that SIG has won the NGSW contract becoming the new rifle and squad automatic weapons of the US Army. 

Now, I fully predicted that SIG would be the winner of the contract, simply by virtue that that Army is notoriously superstitious and because SIG was the only somewhat traditional-looking competitor left, it would win by default. So, here we are. 

Now, I am in agreement with the Military Arms Channel on this one. I think this is a monumentally boneheaded decision by the Army. First, is that despite the new rifle offering a number of advantages, namely: much better range, better terminal ballistics/lethality at range, better accuracy at longer ranges, better suppressor compatibility, less wind drift, and an excellent sighting/range finding system, and lighter ammunition than 7.62 NATO. 

However it does this at the massive cost of, increased weight compared to 5.56 NATO, increased recoil, it's significantly heavier than legacy systems, no magazine compatibility requiring additional new logistics, increased bulk/size of ammunition, and the inability to convert older 5.56 rifles to the new cartridge, as well as wasting all that R&D money when commercial off the shelf solutions were present that would have been significantly cheaper and easier to implement. 

I also agree with MAC that a far better option would have been to adopt either the 6mm ARC, or the 6mm optimum (PPC), as they could be used with existing magazines and rifles with relatively little modification and cost, while offering nearly all the advantages of the 6.8 without any of the disadvantages. 

Once again, the Army missed an obviously good option.

The floating graveyard is now dead

Despite living in California for a good portion of my youth, there are quite a few places I would have loved to go visit that I never really had the chance to see while I was there. One such place I would love to go see is the former NAS Alameda, the USS Hornet Museum, and if it still existed, the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. 

The Hornet is well known and well preserved, it's also just a place that is chock full of interesting history, both in the warship itself and it's continued role in being a museum and movie set. The list of combat accomplishments and historical significance of this ship is just too long to list here, but is well worth reading a summary of it on the Wikipedia page. 

Unfortunately, as for the Reserve fleet, it appears that Californians can never just enjoy anything fun or interesting, so as of 2017, the fleet has basically ceased to exist. I only had a chance to see it myself from a distance once or twice growing up, but it was always something that fascinated me. Most of the ships were sold off for scrap after people complained of "possible" environmental concerns, but the most significant of them was thankfully preserved as a museum as well, the famous USS Iowa, and is now located in L.A.

A picture of the reserve fleet in 1962.

The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet was created 1946, as a consequence to the massive surplus of ships freed up after the end of WWII and was administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). In it's peak in the 1950's, the site was home to over 2,000 mothballed ships that were taken off the naval registry. There were over 300 ships anchored there most of it time, but the number had steadily declined as the more obsolescent ships were either sold off or scrapped. The bulk of the ships stored there were oilers, supply ships, surveyors, salvage, and replenishment ships, but at times there were also the occasional frigates, guided missile cruisers, and icebreakers. Some other notable ships that were stored there at one point was the Sea Shadow experimental stealth ship, Glomar Explorer that was created to salvage the Soviet sub K-129, and the USS Vancouver amphibious landing ship. 

As of this year, there are still a couple boats left at the site that are awaiting their fate, but it won't be long until they are all gone. Thankfully, the Youtube channel It's History put together a little video that gives a brief overview of some of the more notable boats that were stored there. 

Good 'ol Hoser

 Two years ago today we lost one of the greatest legends in modern naval aviation. Commander Joe “Hoser” Satrapa, at the age of 78, passed away on Mar. 17, 2019. Thankfully, he is well remembered by all who served with him, and also by all those who helped compile the book about him, which I'm glad to say I own. If you have a chance, pick up a copy of "Hoser Here......Shoot!" by the TomcatSunset.org staff.

Not too long ago, Ward Carrol had made a nice video tribute to him in which he and another Tomcat pilot had some good things to say about 

The best obituary I've read for him was over at the Aviationist, it's full of interesting info on the man, the legend.

Perilous places for rotary wings

 So, just the other day, the big news locally was that there were two Utah Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawks that crashed near the Snowbird ski resort. Thankfully, the news has reported that there were no injuries, but knowing the news, hopefully that continues to stay accurate.

Because it happened near a popular ski resort, it seems there is plenty of footage of the incident. From what I see, one pilot may have not selected an even spot to land, but was unable to see that because of the white out conditions as they approached, creating conditions, that led one of the craft to strike the other. 

However, all that aside, training the mountainous regions of the Unitas is not too unusual for the UNG, but it's interesting to note how dangerous that can be, as this is far from the first time that conditions there have caused Blackhaws to crash there. I'm sure there's even more if you include all the civilian helicopter crashes as well.

Here's the recent one:
https://www.ksl.com/article/50353784/no-injuries-after-2-blackhawk-helicopters-go-down-near-snowbird-

Another older one:
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna35704456

As a random thought to go with this, despite being made by the lowest bidder, the UH-60 is fairly resilient as far as helicopters go. It's surprising that with how often helicopters crash, the UH-60 seems to have a better than usual track record of it resulting in either minor or no injuries. 

See you on the other side, Ray

Unfortunately, it seems the onslaught of famous people dying continues, but unlike most, this one hits a little harder than most. I just learned that Ivan Reitman died on the 12th at 75 years of age. 

This one hits harder than most because, unlike all the other fandoms I had growing up (ie. Star Wars and Star Trek), the Ghostbusters franchise still had it's missteps, but still tried to not only do right by the fans, but general audiences with the last movie, and was very good. So far, fans don't seem to be getting the middle finger from that franchise anymore, unlike the others I mention, who are still actively extending it. 

Even if you aren't a Ghostbusters fan, there's plenty of other prolific movies he has been a part of: Stripes, Space Jam, Heavy Metal, Up In The Air, Evolution, Beethoven, Kindergarten Cop, Twins, and Animal House. I'm sure between all of those, everyone will find at least one or more to love in that list. 

So my condolences to Jason Reitman and the rest of the family, as they (and audiences) lost one of the great ones in Hollywood. 

Precious Resources

Just heard on the news last night that the last of the men from Easy Company, 506th Airborne has passed away recently. His name is Edward Shames, and he certainly has quite the story to tell, with some amazing accomplishments. I'll link to the article here, just be sure to give it a read, as it's not worth missing:

https://www.dailywire.com/news/last-surviving-band-of-brothers-officer-a-jewish-soldier-who-toasted-his-sons-bar-mitzvah-with-cognac-stolen-from-hitlers-eagles-nest-dies-at-99?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=benshapiro

Pretty sure I've mentioned how much I like the HBO adaptation of their story here before, as I can't think of a more accurate and respectful telling of that story on film. That being said, here's the fantastic and memorable intro to the show. 

I've also suggested to the family to make it a traditional viewing on every June 6th, and people seemed to really like the idea, and enjoyed it the first time around. Gotta also now see if we can watch The Pacific as well, since no one in my wife's side of the family has seen it yet. 

Dang shames and high points

Was going to give another shout out to an awesome local restaurant (well, somewhat local), and then just come to find out a few minutes ago from a friend that the place just closed. Crap! Well, I'll press F to pay respects to the formerly wonderful Chile Amore restaurant in Bountiful. 

In other news, I took my father in law to go see the new Ghostbusters Afterlife movie yesterday, which makes it the third time I've seen it in theaters.  I'm trying to remember the last time I payed to see a movie that many times in a theater, and it's been so long, I just can't recall it. Though, I have a suspicion it was the last Incredibles movie. Basically, go see it if you still have a chance, it's worth supporting.

Totally worth it.

Missing our furry friend

I got a call from my Mom earlier today, frantic about the condition of Breda, our long time German shepherd. The dog was in significant pain, so I told Mom to just take her to the vet immediately, and not a half-hour later, my mom called back in tears. Unbeknownst to us, the dog had a large tumor that burst causing internal injury and bleeding. There was nothing the vet could do, and my mom had to make the difficult choice of putting her down. 

Being such a patient dog waiting by my feet.

Until she sees someone she wants to say hi to!

Anyone who owns a dog and cares for them knows that dogs are territorial animals, or at least are descendants of a very territorial species. The thing we are so unprepared for is when we realize that the dog has claimed such a large territory in our hearts upon leaving our world. 

It's hard for me to write about it without having a massive problem of forming my own thoughts to words, but some years ago, one of the giants (and one of my heroes) of the blogging world lost her dog as well, and being an accomplished author, does a far better job than I in expressing feelings on the subject:

Barkley

Breda had lived a good while, and like any cared for family dog, has a unique, quirky, and loving personality. She was never one to get hugs or cuddles, but was very insistent on getting attention and affection in her own way by pushing her side into you while looking back over at you with that expectant look, waiting for you to pet her. She always had such long, fuzzy, flowing hair for a German shepherd and because of that, Mom always took to saying she looked more like a fuzzy muppet than a dog. I just took to calling her the fuzz-ball of love. 

Breda had an insatiable obsession for all forms of flowing water, and was one of the things that would always get her excited. She was an excellent companion to my mother through the years and was very patient and understanding with her human.

Breda looking stoic with an uncharacteristically closed mouth.

Mom got the dog over 10 years ago, and I remember that Breda had to actually learn how to bark correctly. When we first got her, she had this almost painful, awkward howl she would make instead. Thankfully she got the hang of a good bark later on. 

Since I left on my own, the dog was always excited to see me come back and visibly distraught when I left. She was also a very sentimental dog, and her favorite toy was the one we got her for Christmas a couple years ago. I was looking forward to seeing her again on Thanksgiving, and I hate that I won't be able to. Mom and I will miss that darn dog, and I don't think I've had such heartache since my father died. So long, sweet doggo. 

Will the universe just take a break this month already?

Dunno what is with all the bad news recently. Not only do you have all the usual stuff in the news, but you also got Dugan Ashley having a rough time, and now another YouTuber I watch on the regular has passed away. 

Taofledermaus is a great YouTube channel that does ballistic testing on a variety of different (mostly) shotgun loads for the sake of academic exercise. It's pretty entertaining, and they test a lot of things that are home made from their viewers with often surprising results, with a variety of guests and testers on the show. They are like mythbusters, but just for shotguns stuff, and they don't suck. 

Danny is a regular on the channel, who has appeared quite often as both a tester and submitter of his own projectile designs, and had an immediate charm to add to the channel when he was on. He did help with a farewell video that you can watch here.  He will be missed, and it's nice to see that so many people in the comments are both respectful and sympathetic as Jeff points out.

Again, this is some tear-jerking material, so if you need a pick me up afterwards here's something to help with that from another YouTuber that I love:

The brightest of lights

This is an emergency post. Dugan Ashley, the creator of the CarnikCon You Tube channel, is one of the greatest You Tubers of all time IMHO.  He has certainly made me laugh harder and more often than anyone else there, and has endlessly pissed off the 'ol fudds that have no sense of humor. Just a shame he was unable to carry on with his channel longer, as he had what I thought was just financial and time constraints.

Because of him, I know that I need to store skittles in my AR pistol grip, which rifle is best for combat in space, have the biggest scope possible on an SBR, MP5SD means MP5 Super Duper quiet, that woman no drive, to always wear 'meriflauge camo, watch out for the pack of crazed rapists following me everywhere, to like Freedom America Ale, a Daewoo is basically an F-15, and to shut the f up because he knows I like the HK G36.

So, color me shocked and saddened to hear that he has been dealing with the hardships of multiple sclerosis for a few years now, which has become a debilitating condition for him. There is a fundraiser to help him with the expenses for his medical treatment and the page says that his prognosis is not good, and that he might not survive for very long(careful, this link is a tearjerker). 

There are not many causes on the internet that I go all in for, especially to the point of promoting it to my non-existent readers, but this is certainly one.  If you have the ability, I would highly encourage to donate just a few dollars to his cause. I'm nearly broke, and I'm still sending a few dollars his way. I can't imagine how rough it is for his family, and I would like to help him just be with them for a bit longer. #PrayForDugan

Help out Dugan and you can be awesome too!

You are now entering TMI flu territory

Got the 'rhona/wu-flu/commie cough/kung flu/chinko-virus (did I get 'em all?) a few weeks back, and boy howdy was that fun. I'll say right off the bat that there are plenty of times in my life I've felt more sick and or in pain, but covid was a particularly insidious combination of symptoms. It doesn't help that I have a few of the pre-existing conditions that are said to make it worse, but jeez. 

Should have attacked those commie punks when we had the chance.

This is going to get graphic, people. So if you don't want the details of the sick, don't go beyond the jump...

contrarian corner: cops behaving badly

Yeah, it's time for another stupidly long rant.

I remember when I was young, I liked the idea of becoming a cop.  I love the concept of helping people in need and I liked the idea of helping to serve true justice.  However as life goes on, I can't help but view most officers with disdain, and the reason why is a multifaceted answer.  I'll address these in my usual haphazard manner.

It's been pointed out that cops and other emergency services risk their lives every day.  This is true, but some also make the statement that soldiers in combat are simply facing a 'raw' version of life as an LEO.  I take issue with that statement for a couple of reasons.  First is that cops are civilians (yes, I'm one of those nitpickers) as such you get to clock out, go home sleep in a nice bed at the end of the day, and unless you live in one hell of a bad town, you never have to worry about getting killed in the middle of the night by artillery, getting blasted on the road by an IED, worry about co-workers getting captured and beheaded on international news, or deal with the possibility of dying on foreign soil and never receiving a proper burial, because the local populace insisted on desecrating your body.  All while contemplating this in a foxhole while away from family and friends for months on end, and worrying about getting court marital-ed for doing the right thing.

You have a plethora of non-lethal tools at your disposal to subdue the uncouth people you encounter, whereas the average soldier has nothing more than his rifle, armor, bayonet, and fists, then is told to keep order in entire cities with a handful of buddies, but if they kill anyone without a uniform on, it's never ending NJPs plus a court martial for you.  I doubt you'll ever go to a riot encounter with nothing but those tools and under those conditions.

At the end of the day, because of your civilian status, you can quit at any time; things get too rough and you can go tell people to stuff it.  A soldier has no luxury like that when facing death, and they are forced to confront it or face punishment.  So no, you're not on equal footing with a soldier, and no, you're not experiencing "combat-lite" or it's filtered/canned/processed equivalent, despite the stresses of your job.

Speaking of which, my second point: despite it not being war, your job is supposed to be tough.  By it's very nature, you are to assume all are innocent until proven guilty, all while constantly dealing with the most unsavory types of people and situations peacetime has to offer.  So, that being said, the whole point of your position is to put yourself in harm's way, the moment you start complaining about how unsafe it is, all I can think is, perhaps it's the wrong job for you.

Thirdly, your attitude sucks.  Granted it's hard to maintain a good one when you deal with the worst of civilized America every day, but for the love of everything holy, why is it that every time I talk to an officer for whatever reason, they either treat me like a retarded child, or like I just threatened the lives of their family?

Here's a hint for you guys:  If you want to be treated with more respect by both veterans and other civilians, perhaps you should stop the posturing like you're some superior being and treat other people as equals.  Yes, dangerous situations call for being defensive and/or readiness for violence, and I know you have to be prepared for any situation to turn violent, but does that really warrant treating me like a felon at 2am because you thought part of my windshield wasn't scraped of ice to your satisfaction?  Don't act like you're better than anyone else or that your sizing them up for a fight, and you may notice a sharp incline of respect headed your way.

I agree with many in that not all people in the military are heroes or even good people and the same goes for the cops.  However, unless proven to be otherwise, I believe all veterans deserve respect.  However, it's increasingly hard to justify respecting all cops.  Why?  Because of the "good cops."  Not only are the "good cops" so few and far between, but it appears to everyone that they are ineffective in making changes in their department.

The modus operandi of the 'bad cop' is double standards, code of the blue, corruption, complete ignorance of law, irresponsibility coupled with unaccountability because he is untouchable.  In a worst case scenario, the cops are just another organized crime syndicate.  Best case, your respect is demolished because your department's few 'bad cops' are not disciplined/prosecuted and instead given a paid vacation for hurting or even killing innocent people, when the same activity performed by the average citizen would warrant prison or in some cases execution.

Why do I blame the 'good cops' for this?  Well, when's the last time you arrested one of them?  Particularly when they do something illegal in public.  Show the populace that no one is above the law.  When in private, are you actively working to build a case against them?  If they are committing crimes, are they not just as much of a threat as (if not more than) any other criminal?  Does not your job require a higher sense of personal responsibility than the burger flipper down the street?  Why do you let these people go on ruining all you stand for?  They may be the ones actively destroying your reputation, respect and authority, but by not lashing out and pressing charges to the fullest extent, or not shooting one when they are harming another innocent, you are passively condoning it.  Why do you continue to give support to unconstitutional laws and practices?  Believe it or not, as an officer you have a choice to enforce or not enforce a law.  Make a stand and risk being fired if that's what it takes.  By not doing so you are no better than the guards at concentration camps who "just followed orders."

Being police officers (unlike the military) you are required to police the american populace, a people with all the rights and privileges thereof, which necessitates a responsibility placed upon you to uphold not only the law and answer to your employers, but to protect those rights.  What do I mean by this?  Well, as an officer, you are employed by US; you know, we the people.  So, considering you answer to us, most cops seem to place higher esteem on city/county/state officials or other cops than they do with John Q. Public.

I don't care if there is a LEO union working in the background, if you truly want to do your job right, you will help to weed out these people from law enforcement whatever it takes.  Not simply transfer them to another department, not give them paid leave, not shelter them from charges being pressed, you need to either destroy their entire future in law enforcement or let them know you will do so if they do not act responsibly in wielding such rampant power.

The same goes for the militarization of the police.  You may not have replaced your cruiser with a MRAP, or suited up in mall ninja gear for a no-knock raid, but why are you letting it press on in your department without speaking out?  You may not be in charge, but that doesn't mean you can't do something.

Every single person I know (not counting minors of course) has had a bad experience with the cops in which they were falsely accused, treated roughly without cause, had their rights curtailed, fined for something they didn't do, etc.

Let that sink in for a second.  EVERY SINGLE PERSON I KNOW.  No exceptions.  I don't make a habit out of associating with ruffians, I don't live in the ghetto, I'm not friends with a bunch of felons, I'm not even located in a massive city, but everyone I know has had a bad experience with the police acting far out of line.  Now, to say that the cops simply have their fair share of bad apples, sounds unlikely at this point.  It diminishes the real scope of the issue if ALL the people I know have had this happen to them.  These issues are not isolated, or a minority, it's become very widespread problem to the point of being a national issue of the police being saturated with "bad apples."  Federal cops are by far the worst (you can generally assume there's hardly any good ones among the lot of 'em) and have always been, however this has fermented among local and state cops for so long that they have slowly come to the forefront of the problem as well.

We hate the fact that SWAT teams can do no knock raids on the wrong house, shoot up the place and get off scott free, while the poor occupant who had to defend his home from unlawful intruders is sent to prison.  We're tired of being treated with no respect, and like we have no rights.  We're pissed off at the rampant corruption that goes on and on without improvement.  We're outraged at being served warrants for simply exercising free speech.  We're sick of you working for politician's personal interests instead of upholding the law.  We're through with you getting special treatment after breaking the same laws we do but not getting the same punishment.  We're infuriated with laws being passed for us to obey, but for you be exempt from.  We're tired of your word against ours in a trial when your side is so often taken because of special treatment.  We're tired of you not holding your officers to a higher standard.  We're tired of you standing back and doing nothing when rights are being infringed in front of your eyes.  We're tired of you enforcing laws that restrict us from filming/photographing public places or employees. We're enraged by the repeated violations to our 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th and other Amendments. Were're tired of the bull-crap of no name towns getting APCs, MRAPs, and GMPGs for no other purpose than to waste our tax money fighting imaginary tanks, and we are pissed that you're able to buy them and we can't because somehow you're better than us despite a higher crime rate than the general populace!

That and where did the service go to in "protect and serve," eh?  When's the last time you saw a cop stop to help someone broken down on the side of the road?  When's the last time you heard a cop ask how he can help you out when lost?  When's the last time you heard a group of cops discuss anything other than "how do we get this guy?" as opposed to "how can we help?"  When's the last time you heard a cop tell another bad one that what he's trying to do is wrong?  When's the last time you were treated with basic politeness and respect from a cop?  When's the last time you talked to a cop that didn't try to treat you like an immediate threat?  When was the last time one talked to you without giving off a massive superiority complex?  When have you ever seen a cop tackled and tased for getting in a person's face and threatening them?

This is the reason the average American and in particular the American serviceman hates you.  To be told our whole lives that men are created equal, and see nothing but special exceptions for you to the point that you're nearly above the law.  For the servicemen to fight and die solely for our rights then come home and see that they are trampled on by your kind nearly on the hour, all while the good cops stand back and do nothing.  That is why.

Once again the internet sounds off

about something or another regarding the guy in charge of Mozilla, and consequently Firefox.  I stopped using Firefox ages ago, due to it's increasingly lackluster performance, but It's interesting that I've lived to see the day people are boycotting a non-tangible product because "gay rights" were curtailed by California's general public 6 years ago.  The whole thing stinks of witch hunt to me, and hopefully the man won't have his future ruined, despite already being forced to step down.

though from the news source for the story that I lazily googled, it's cool to see that Utah has a state rep that registers a full on 0% rating from the NARAL pro-choice America group.  This I also find funny in that a pro-choice group would rate him at a 0% when I'm sure he would consider abortion in cases of rape and/or when the life of the mother is in danger (as do I).

In other more lighthearted news, I have to admit that I got tricked good on April fools day.  Normally I'm on the lookout for people trying to pull a fast one on me, but I've been had like the rest of 'em.  Totally fell for the one story on Alert 5 news that said a Chinese J-10 defected to Taiwan.  Did not see that coming form a defense news site.

can you imagine how crazy that would have been?

ah Louie, Louie

In my neck of the woods, most of the world would have you think there's nothing here but a bunch of rednecks, polygamists and nothing else but your standard white-bread crackers.  However, I never cease to be amazed by just how diverse this little valley can be.

Just recently a really nice guy left my work to go back to his his home country of the Philippines.  We really miss that guy; he being one of the people I have nothing but respect for, as he always has a good attitude while dealing with a plethora of crap everyday.  Anyways, we had a big shindig to celebrate his time with us, and this guy is so cool, he ends up making a massive amount of authentic Filipino food for us to consume and also gave me a nice little memento:

It's funny, I always thought coin collecting was a thing for losers, but now I seem to be unwittingly amassing a small fortune in foreign currency.