9/11

In the past, this has been a hard day for me. I watched it unfold at work at NASA, made the calls duty required, and wondered. I knew someone who was supposed to be in the towers that day (they lived, co-worker changed out with them), and had friends in the Pentagon. Still get a smile at the NASA worker who thought President Bush had been hit in the knee by someone with a baseball bat when I called out to my boss (former SAC) that the President was NEACAPed (i.e. AF One was in the air and had assumed duty as the National Emergency Airborne Command Post). A day of horror, a day we kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, yet also a day when we still had hope.

Around the country, I was aware of specialized burn and trauma centers activating emergency plans and preparing for a flood of victims from NYC and DC. I heard that every military and civilian Nightingale (medical evac planes) went to hot pad status. And waited in vain.

No survivors came out of the wreckage. No wounded. Only the dead and later I watched as NYFD worked to find the dead even as the boots melted on their feet.

I remember them today. The living and the dead. God Bless Rick Rescorla and all those like him who went in and tried to save lives. Rick was last seen going back up a third time (I think) trying to save yet more when he had already saved hundreds. If you don’t know his song, you should. It is well worth knowing and singing unto the generations.

The memories of that day fade a bit each year, and with it the raw emotion. Today, though, I feel worse than I have in years. It’s not just the assassination yesterday (and, yes, I suspect it was done in part to tie into today) and what it means for the social compact and a representative democracy. Thing is, I just can’t shake the feeling that the people behind the Biden Regency let in such a large number of people who bear America ill-will because they were planning something much larger and worse than the first 9/11.

Such an attack could be used for either cementing power for a long, long time; or, it could be used as a Gotterdamerung if they lost. Either way would work for those pulling the strings. I very much agree with Sarah that a wounded/dying beast is far more dangerous, and woke is wounded and dying. Thing is, the win of individual liberty and the principles of the Great Experiment is not guaranteed even now. Stupidity can still set us back decades, or even centuries potentially though I prefer to think optimistically. As I’ve said before, woke is not just going to roll over and call the game.

We can survive a good bit, and push forward for further victories. Provided stupidity doesn’t get in more hits. We do not want the switch to flip, and I have to admit I never thought of Charlie as the first target. Honestly, I thought they would go at Trump (the boogie man in their fevered dreams), JD (largest real threat), or Pete (who is working hard to turn around the military) first. For that matter, I half expected a go at part of the Supreme Court, which Schumer and company have pushed hard and long.

Thing is, they couldn’t have picked a worse target (but then again, they are stupid). Charlie stood for discourse, debate, and discussion. They hated him because he was effective. In killing him, they have created a secular and religious martyr. When you cut out someone’s tongue, you do it because their words scare you and you don’t want them heard. Taking out the man who stood for discourse really was incredibly stupid as you have just confirmed his words as dangerous to you, and indicated in the strongest way that they were true and powerful. Add to it that you took out a Christian who spread the word and encouraged others to Christ, and you have created a religious martyr on top of that. Synergy is guaranteed to take that double whammy and turn it into something even more powerful.

I really do hope for the best case, and that TPUSA grows by leaps and bounds. Didn’t know him personally, but think he would be delighted if that happened. Worst case is, of course, that the thousands he reached have been shown that peaceful discourse is not going to happen, and… Not the way I hope or want things to go. The people behind this (and I don’t think it happened in isolation) truly failed to consider first or second order effects, much less third. Awakened a sleeping giant? Maybe. Shown thousands that peace is not an option, and that violence will come for them who are already shunned and marginalized by the woke? Oh yes. The only question is the response. Hence my first choice above.

More than ever, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. And praying that sanity, and not stupidity, rules the day.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Go Read

Then think, then pray. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was not just a horror and tragedy, it was stupid. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we needed to talk about how, despite all that has been accomplished in a short time by Trump, one or more stupid people doing stupid things (here and abroad) could have catastrophic consequences. This is one of them.

As usual, L’Ombre de l’Olivier posts a very good one. Go read his post. I’m also going to link to it on my post from yesterday. The anger that has been building in the majority of our citizens just got hit with a blast of pure oxygen. It may or may not flip the switch, and I hope it doesn’t. But it won’t take much for stupidity for it to be thrown. Seriously, pray.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Charlie Kirk

Not sure I ever met him in person, but his online presence was hard to miss. He was tenacious, hard working, and built an organization that worked hard to reach students, especially those that were a product of public indoctrination. I agreed with him on some things, disagreed on others, and appreciated him making his case openly.

His murder today is horrific, and terrifying. It is horrific that a man known for debate and intellectual prowess was murdered for his ideas. A father to young children, husband, mentor and more taken simply because others couldn’t stand disagreement.

His murder is terrifying in that I have to agree with Larry Correia that on top of the murder in Charlotte, attempts against Trump (and who leaked that he was going to that restaurant needs to be found, ASAP), and other political violence, we may indeed see the switch flipped. What switch? The one that most of the world has when it comes to violence. The progressive woke faction sees violence as a rheostat to be turned up or down at need. Almost everyone else sees it a switch that is either on or off. We really don’t want to see that switch flipped as it could destroy our Republic (and the attempts to restore it) faster than the woke mind virus.

I have prayed for Charlie’s soul. I have prayed for his young family and all those he leaves behind. I’ve also prayed for our country and that we avoid what comes with the flipping of the switch. Please join me.

UPDATE I: Go Read This. You really want and need to do so.

Charlotte

First up, please help stop the stupidity. There are those trying their best to start a race war. They are stupid. Don’t be stupid. I suspect a number of them are bots, and I’m wondering how many of those bots are run from China (and Pakistan)? Point, laugh, and short-circuit as much of that as you can please.

One of the more horrifying things to me was that, as someone who regularly uses public transport, I had a good idea that something was going to happen even before Iryna Zarutska sat down. Something about him was setting off alarms from the start, and there are reasons I am not on my phone a lot while riding public transport. Between bad suspension and the need to keep my head on a swivel (esp. on certain lines) it’s just not a good idea.

I also don’t blame her for not being more aware. In Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Russia, the trains and such are still largely safe. There is security. It’s a different experience. It used to be that way in Western Europe, but with all the immigration that’s no longer true. Used to be in the Paris subway the worse you had to worry about were pick-pockets. Sigh.

Here, public transport is not clean, fun, or safe and that seems deliberate. Busses and even subways/light rail are often unofficially used to house and move the mentally ill/homeless, particularly in winter or other bad weather. You also run into people who feel very privileged because of their victim status, and are not shy about deserving to ride for free, special stops, etc. Some in that class have been told for years that whites are the enemy who has always abused them. Which means you run into some very nasty racism, such as the elderly black lady who tried to spit at me simply because I was white and on “her” bus. You do meet some nice people on occasion, but…

She was lied to on many fronts, and she paid for it with her life. The look of fear and shock on her face will stay with me for the rest of my life. Fact is, she was already dead at that point, she simply didn’t know it. Those blows probably took out one or both carotids and the jugular. Any chance she had was lost when it took some 90 seconds to come to her aid — none of those around her did a thing for her. Not allowed to say some of the words I want to say; but, I also remind myself there wasn’t a lot that could be done absent clotting/pressure bandages and a surgeon.

I’m also going to ask you not only to pray for her soul; but, to pray for the man who did come to her aid from elsewhere, and the lady who joined him. Dollars to donuts he (and maybe her) is playing the “what if” game right now: what if I had moved faster, what if I had done things differently, what if… It’s a thing, and it haunts more than one combat medic I’ve known and it eats at a lot of first responders. I hope they both are smart enough to get some help, or find some people who’ve been there and done that to help them through the aftermath.

For the thug and those who sat there and did nothing, not even ask or check to see if they could help her, I’m asking the Lord to illumine them. To open their eyes and minds. May justice be done.

Your safety is your responsibility. It can’t be delegated, it can’t be hired out, and it can’t be ignored. You have to be paying attention and you have to be prepared. Over the years, I’ve been able to de-escalate a few situations; and, to avoid even that by being aware and avoiding situations. It can be as simple as taking the next bus, or going with an alternate route or plan.

Thing is, be aware. Keep your head on a swivel, have a plan, have backup plans, and know what you can, should, or will do. If turning and walking away works, do it; but, if it drops in the pot aggressive and forceful action quite often causes the other party to break off and run. Stealing from Instapundit this morning, here’s a post on just that. Ambush close: turn in, engage, destroy. Sarah A. Hoyt has a good post on the lies we tell our children, lies that get them killed. Finally, from The Lawdog Files comes the truth in that everyone is a lesson.

There are a lot of good things happening in America, but we are not out of the woods yet. This is a reminder that local elections matter. Vote for your health and safety, and that of those you love. Hold your local government, prosecutors, judges, etc. accountable. It’s not just in Charlotte that they have blood on their hands.

Teach your children well. If you don’t teach them, and more importantly show them in everyday life by your actions, they don’t have a chance.

Keep your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark. And, as you see the photos and videos, go give your kids an extra hug.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Passport Away

Well, the passport application is now submitted via USPS. I made an appointment yesterday, went in today, and was done in about 15 minutes including getting a photo taken. Turns out my old passport expired a while back, so had to do a complete new application. I will note that the costs seem to have gone up since my last one, but not surprising.

Over the last week, I’ve had two people do some incredibly wonderful things to push my planned pilgrimage along. One person is arranging a guide and facilitator (also a translator) in Greece for Mount Athos. He’s experienced and knows how to work the system with the Greek government and with Mount Athos. Another person helped with some of the other travel.

There is more to come on this, stay tuned. If inclined, feel free to hit the tip jar, note it is for travel, and it will go towards it.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

USS Robert A. Heinlein

Okay, got this from Sarah A. Hoyt over on X today, and I’m in. Help make this go viral.

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It is the prerogative of the Secretary of the Navy to name Navy vessels. Navy policy is to name destroyers for deceased members of the Navy. We want the new Secretary of the Navy – John Phelan — to name a future DDG-51 Flight III destroyer for Robert A. Heinlein. This would happen if lots of people write asking him to name a future Arleigh Burke-class destroyer for Heinlein. Phelan’s address is: The Honorable John Phelan Secretary of the Navy Room 4E686 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301 More information may be found at the Campaign website. http://USSRobertAHeinlein.com What To Do — • Write John Phelan; ask him to name a U.S. Navy vessel the U.S.S. Robert A. Heinlein. • Get as many others as you can to do the same! • Spread the information on the Campaign as far and as wide as possible!

Things That Make You Wonder, Part???

Italian police thwart a terror attack (guess who) which was set to use a machine gun on thousands of Christians packed into a relatively small area for a religious festival. French police thwart a terror attack (again, guess) that was going to use explosives against a school or police station. There is some possible chatter that other such ‘thwartings’ have taken place and that LE here in the U.S. is prepping for unnamed events.

I inclined to think those ‘thwartings’ may well have happened, and if anyone has heard of such elsewhere, please sound off in the comments. Not every country announces such openly after all, even allegedly free ones. For example, does anyone honestly think the government of England would willingly announce such, or that the groveling hacks of the British press would report it if they did? Then again, there are other countries that don’t go public just because they want certain organizations to wonder what did happen to their people…

Then, throw in the narco boat taken out on its way here. Why did it have 11 on board, when normal crew is 2-3 max? Why those particular people? Who were they/what were they? Very interesting given that there are already thousands of potential terrorists here thanks to the Biden Regency. Suspecting that there is much more to this story.

If not already, get your heads on swivels and ears open. 9/11 is coming up and you know how the Islamics love their symbolism. To borrow from Ian: Once is happenstance; twice is coincidence; and, three times means there is a pattern we need to discern as fast as possible.

And, yes, I do think this is tied into my earlier post. Again, if you know of a ‘thwarting’ or similar event, sing out. Something is starting to smell, and I don’t think it’s breakfast.

Be prepared. Keep your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Shady Lady’s Latest

If you missed it, the Shady Lady that is the New York Times released classified information on a SEAL mission into North Korea. This was done to harm the current administration, even though it has hurt the United States even more than any impact to the Trump administration. No links, not going to reward this treachery. And, before any of the tiresome pedantics chime in, it is indeed treachery though not treason.

I doubt that anything will happen to those at the paper (but, frankly, there should be charges over this one), but one hopes that Pete and the DOJ are both hunting for the leakers. They need to be found and dealt with as strongly as possible as they have not only harmed the U.S., but they have put lives in danger by so doing.

If in the process of this mole hunt one comes across any of the people Gov. Pritzker claims are leaking info to him, deal with them as well.

We are well past time for slaps on the wrists and party passes (‘aw, you did it to hurt an R, that’s okay then) or RHIP. It’s time for max penalties regardless of who you are (and Bolton is only one of several I’m looking at).

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

More Is Coming

Just things have been busy if not hectic. Doing a bit extra at Church for the next few weeks, had lots of appointments and such this week, and trying to get some things done for next year even. More on the latter soon I hope. The dental work started a few weeks ago is now finished, and didn’t require a bottle of rye and a leather wrapped hardwood stick to finish (smile). I do wish my dentist had told me in advance no solid food for 24 hours as would have shopped a bit different. The massage therapy this week included cupping, which gave an odd reaction even as it did a lot of good. However, it made for an interesting Wednesday night as things flushed out of the system. Much more planned, hoping I might get some up tomorrow, but no promises.

Cruel To Be Kind

Those who have been in any way, shape, or form on the sharp end will get some of what I’m going to say. A few others might as well. Those of ivory towers and sheltered lives (made safe by rough men) probably won’t. This may actually take several posts, as it reflects some things I’m working through right now.

In terms of the individual, the concept of turning the other cheek is the right and moral thing to do. When attacked a couple of times, literally or figuratively, I have simply asked the person — absent signs of continuing the attack — why they did it? That is a form of turning the other cheek. It has kept some things from escalating and saved a lot of mess.

That presumes, however, you are dealing with a rational (or at least semi-rational) person or creature. When that is the case, there is an opportunity for reason, and morality, to de-escalate (as they like to call it now) and reach a reasonable and just (important part) resolution.

It was an important factor in the spread of Christianity. The early Church was extremely pacifistic, something that didn’t change until the third century and even then there was some strong limits on things. Fact is, Orthodoxy and I believe certain other groups (Coptic?) never did adopt a “Just War” theory and dogma while the Roman Catholic Church (and some Protestant denominations) did adopt such. The traditional Christian view is that self-defense is allowed, but wars of aggression are not. And, yes, some Churches seem to honor that in the breach, but that’s a different story.

Of the Disciples, only one died of old age. The rest, along with many (most?) of the Apostolic fathers became martyrs. Their refusal to act in the ways the Romans and others tried to provoke, along with their unwavering faith (and some of the miracles that occurred in their deaths) helped turn the tide such that Constantine was moved by his dream after thousands had been converted. I will point out that the Fathers of the Church had to decree that people should not seek out martyrdom; but, only accept it if it came their way.

Because the Romans and (most) others were not irrational, people were moved and the new faith grew. Societies changed, and changed for the better over time. While many ‘elites’ are loathe to admit it, Christianity reshaped the world for the better, with slavery eliminated as a wide-spread practice (it is still there in a sadly growing amount) as England and other Western Nations (including eventually the U.S.) worked hard to eliminate it. Post for another day, but Islam is leading the spread of slavery in the world today.

The problem is that there are two major sets of irrational players in the world today. There are an increasing number of irrational individuals (again, likely another post), in the West. The other set of irrational players are major governments. As I’ve noted before, governments play by toddler rules and not necessarily by reason. The older I get, the less I suspect reason is used in government at all…

Irrational people come in a variety of types. At one end you have your typical street person, where mental illness and drug use (often related) create irrationality that may be very harmless, or very harmful. Sometimes in the same person. A quick solution to the problem of them would be to restore mental hospitals and mental health; but, there are a lot of rice bowls that would be kicked over by such so don’t expect local or state governments to move on that anytime soon.

On the other end, you have an extremely protected class who have led very sheltered and protected lives. Rather than reason, they have been conditioned to run off emotions, with facts, evidence, and Reason things to be shunned. It’s not limited to academia (sadly), but is rather widespread amongst the so-called ‘elite’ class.

And there is some overlap between that latter class and government. Which only makes the problem of governments not following reason worse.

Now, when one has a ‘negative encounter’ with a street person, your choices range from ‘I will not harm another made in the image of God no matter what’ to ‘I will protect the lives of others and myself however I have to.’ That choice is yours to make and you will either live with or die by the choice you make. Martyrdom still exists (see Syria, Africa, et al for examples) though most Christian denominations say it is a sin to seek it out.

If it is just you, it may even be an easy choice. The problem is, it seldom is just you. That complicates things, for you have a variety of responsibilities and duties to your family, and even to the greater good as represented in the social contract. Keep in mind, however, that the social compact only truly works and applies in high-trust societies. It works not at all in low-trust societies, to which the West is being rapidly reduced.

Now, keep in mind that there is still that other group of irrational individuals who are often in the bureaucratic leadership as well as political leadership. The ‘negative interactions’ there are less physical and far more political, ideological, and religious (and Woke is a religion that is waging religious war on Western Civilization and the Christian Church in particular). This is where ‘Render unto Caesar…” can come into play. There are some sects of Christianity that feel a ‘true’ Christian should not care of this world and it’s politics at all, to the point of not voting and refusing to discuss or deal with matters political. Even when there are anti-Christian efforts to be voted upon. Not my cup of tea, but again probably a post for another day.

I think one turns one’s back on politics and politicians at peril for all one holds dear. Especially when is dealing with Woke and Islam. Both of those do not respect restraint or any number of things they consider weak. They see such not as a moral or ethical goodness, but a sign of submission and surrender — and they act accordingly.

Which, to wrap this up for today, leads to a good example that those I mentioned in the opening paragraph will get. Sometimes, the best thing and the thing that will result in the least amount of death and damage in the long run involves death and destruction on a small scale. “Chinese” Gordon did so in Africa many years back, and the Islamic terrorism of the day settled down right quick. There are other historical examples that we may get into later, but to close we have something recent to consider.

The U.S. military just blew up a narco boat headed to the U.S. with gang members/narco terrorists (take your choice) and illegal drugs of a nasty sort on board. The ususal suspects are wailing that this is extra-judicial murder (gee, not our citizens, on the way to do harm to the U.S. and it’s people, etc., so that’s a no on murder from me) and we should have intercepted, coddled, etc.

The counter-point they are missing is that this action just accomplished several things that may well prevent more suffering, destruction, and death in the long-run. It served notice to a certain country that these efforts will no longer be tolerated, requiring them to either double down (skeet shoot), try to find other ways (time and expense), or give up (not likely, sadly). It also made it much harder to find boat crew and narcos willing to do these trips as the smart ones will get that the U.S. government is willing to make a few more examples. It also kept a few tons (most likely) of drugs out of the U.S. where it is helping fuel a variety of problems. Couple of other points, but those are the main ones.

Next time, I want to come back and look at this again, and at how this applies to the ‘migrant rape problem’ which is both a cultural problem and a deliberate act of war. The latter far more so than many/most are willing to openly discuss since to do so will get one called Islamophobic (and arrested in England). I also want to get into the morality of ‘cruel to be kind’ and the related topic of the morality of being willing to sacrifice others for your beliefs. It’s complex, it’s complicated, and it’s important as we are going to be facing a number of choices in the coming years as we deal with irrational people, governments, and even religions (mostly non-Christian).

Part II soon I hope.