The Laughing Wolf – Page 57 – Commentary, Punditry, and More

General Update

For those that are interested, here’s where things stand as of this morning. Honestly, can’t complain (too much). My left shoulder can and does though. It hurts worse than the replaced shoulder.

I am doing and feeling better than I expected based on research. Pain has not been too bad, have had far more discomfort than pain since about the second week after surgery. If I, or someone else, do something stupid, I get the message immediately. Jerks, pushes, or impacts bring strong but thankfully brief bits of pain. The industrial cold pack does a good job on the rest. I’m not taking acetaminophen right now as I think it toxic as all get out, and am going to be exploring NAC and another option thanks to some comments.

My range of motion is improving, at least towards the front and up. We can’t yet start on taking my hand/arm backwards. Hoping by the end of the month we might can do that. Meantime, PT twice a week and gym at least three days a week.

I’m setting up at home to do most of the PT I do with the therapist. The initial PT really didn’t require any gear, but doing PT at home on the “off” days has really paid off. Besides, want to be set just in case insurance cuts back on PT (see below). So far, I’ve gotten the ice pack, the pulley system, a couple of other small things, and some PVC pipe. The latter needs to be cut so I can use it for certain lifts and stretches. Amazing how much you can do on the cheap!

I need to pick up some small weights (1, 2, 3, 5 lbs to start, may need to pick up some other soon as well) as we are now doing some of the stretches and exercises with those. Also, need a ball. I’ve gone from pure isometric pushing against a wall/door frame to pushing against the ball to get movement as well.

Still limited on how much I can pick up, carry, etc. Trust me, if I overdo that one I know it quick. Hoping the weight restrictions will come off by the end of the month.

At the gym, I am getting my aerobic/cardio and some core/lower body work in as well as some of the PT. Just added in some wall crunches to go with the ab work, as I have a gut to get rid of. Easing into the aerobic/cardio instead of my previous normal “jump in hard” mindset. As is, getting in at least two miles every session and am starting to ramp up. Have been keeping the BPM under 110, but as things settle I’m going to work up to the “optimum” target of 135.

At the end of the month, I go back to the surgeon’s office to evaluate where things stand. Already working up questions, including some on shooting and future shooting of rifle and shotgun. With luck, will get cleared to start the fun phase of working the arm backwards and handling some weight. We are also going to talk about the left shoulder and when to schedule doing it. I’m actually hoping for September, for all that it will make recovery interesting as I would still be doing PT on the right even as we start doing it on the left. We will see.

We will also have to see what the insurance will approve on PT. Theoretically it should not be a problem to get all the PT approved. Reality is, it doesn’t matter what the doctor or therapist say, it matters what the bureaucrat says. Always a fun game. I will have to say, however, that so far my insurance as been very good to me and I hope they continue to be…

Between carry limits and motion issues, “real” cooking is still a challenge. Thank goodness for the cooking I did before the surgery. I did do two pans of enchiladas this week, one beef and one chicken. An experiment in several ways: could I do it with the arm; I couldn’t get my regular cheat sauces (doing from scratch not an option yet); and, I couldn’t get my regular grain-free tortillas.

It went okay. Shredding the chicken after it slow cooked actually worked the arm a bit, but not too badly. The sauces were okay but I do prefer what I usually get. Not keto, but went with some good white corn tortillas which worked very well overall, and were a fraction of the cost of the grain-free.

Will do a separate post on the half-batch of Adm. Nimitz’s CINCPAC special I’ve made. It’s a drink made by the gallon, and was apparently considered a version of old fashioned despite no citrus. Letting it age a bit so that the whole vanilla bean (!) in it can make it’s presence known.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, 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. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

How To Turn It Around

A few days ago on Twitter, I was asked my thoughts on a new study by Rand entitled: Inflection Point: How to Reverse the Erosion of U.S. and Allied Military Power and Influence. Here’s my initial thoughts on it and what needs to be done.

Sadly, I don’t think highly of Rand and it’s products, and have not done so for several decades now. Growing up in the 1960s, research and documents from Rand were treated almost as holy writ in the science community. Fact is, they did some good and even amazing work back in the day. Somewhere along the way, however, in my opinion they became just another beltway bandit.

Case in point are the first nine bullet points presented under recommendations which with one exception are meaningless ritual gobbledygook that says you are a serious beltway player who knows the current buzzwords and is prepared to synergize existing resources so as to maximize potential for the advancement of improvement. The only honest part of the nine are those calling for research into multiple new weapons systems that will require lots of expensive studies (like those done by Rand), extensive and expensive R&D, and decades to produce. Yeah, I may have helped write stuff like this before…

Okay, that said, let me back up and take this more in order.

Key Finding One is that warfare has changed since the Cold War. No shit, Sherlock. It’s changed since Desert Storm. I will add that we are insolvent because our current GOFOs are far more interested in focusing on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE) than in teaching our troops to fight and win, which is indeed going to cause them to DIE.

Key Finding Two is that our superiority in training, tech, people, etc. is gone. I agree, and it was squandered by feckless leadership and politicians. A good bit of that was/is intentional I think.

Key Finding Three is that we don’t need superiority to defeat peers and near-peers. In the words of Col. Sherman Potter, horsehocky! Yeah, trying to be polite and keep it more PG-13 than the XXX response this topic usually elicits.

Key Finding Four is that it has opened the eyes of NATO members. Snort. Chortle. Braying Laugh. The newer members of NATO have been meeting and even exceeding for a while, even as they have tried to point out the danger while being poo-poohed by the older members in the status quo lounge. Those members, such as Germany, still don’t get the danger that exists, being as they are more focused on the danger to their pockets and all the freebies they offer their people. I might point out that this has also been pointed out for a couple of decades by members of the milblog community and pointedly by the previous administration.

Key Finding Five is that the U.S. and Taiwan have differing ideas on how they should defend themselves, with a hefty slice of implication that Taiwan is wrong.

Now, to go back to Recommendations, with the remaining points being a rendition of buzzword bingo. Encourage meeting commitments, increase stocks, points deducted for saying NATO has an eastern flank (it doesn’t, it has an eastern front…), and the rest is pretty much blather. The points I mention are good, but are couched with caveats that appear to negate them. It is the typical beltway dance, so as not to alarm anyone overseas that we might really mean it this time on commitments or the need for them to increase stocks. This appears to be a solid entry in the status quo club library with some appropriate (condescending) nods to the newer members of NATO.

Now, before I go into my take on some issues, go read the good Commander who makes some hard and valid points. As I’ve pointed out before, all stocks are low to the point of criminally low. Bean-counters made the call, the stocks were reduced, the lines are gone in some cases, and when it comes to D+7, we are going to be Winchester on a lot more than 155. I will leave it to Sal to talk about the horrible state of maintenance in the Navy, and will note that the Air Force has issues of its own.

I will also note that there is a huge problem with retention, not just recruitment. If you can get them, take a look at the number of people coming out early on medical and related. Add in those choosing not to re-up, and we are losing a huge amount of institutional experience at key levels. There is only so much abuse and command toxicity that people are going to take. They are voting with their feet.

Now, I can turn the following into a proper beltway insomnia cure easily enough for the right cash under the table. Meantime, allow me to present a hopefully more entertaining and colorful version with solid proposal underneath. You really want to turn things around?

First: Change of Leadership. No meaningful changes are possible under the current administration or current probable successors within the same party. The attack on warfighters and warfighting capability begun in the Obama administration is a key component of the intentions and operations of current political leadership.

Should circumstances change such that all parties are forced to accept the need for change and the resurrection of an effective and efficient military that wants to and can win engagements and wars, I would argue for a blanket purge of all current GOFOs save any who have spoken out in public against current trends, practices and theories including DIE (and are vouched for by middle-rank enlisted as having kept focus on mission and people). We really do need a clean sweep.

This should be followed by an elimination of TRADOC as it currently exists, and related organizations in other services. Since Vladimir is not likely to nuke Eustis as he wants to hurt us, if I were made ruler of the world even briefly, I would drop my own nuke in the form of enticing Col. Kratman back into service for the sole purpose of eliminating the current system, salting the Earth, and building a new system focused on mission, men, and winning. That truly is the key and it is not what we are currently doing in any service though the Marines seem to be doing better than most.

Finally, we need to stop the war on warfighters in the military. We desperately need to nurture any we find in any service, and even look to see if there is any way to entice proven wartime leadership to return to service.

Second: Procurement. We urgently need realistic warstocks. What a lot of people don’t get is that yes we are ramping up to app. 90,000 rounds of 155 a month. We need to get back to the days where we were producing more than 500,000 rounds a month. And, it’s not just 155. As Sal has pointed out, as I’ve pointed out before, there are a LOT of items where we don’t have the stockpiles and there is no way to rapidly procure more.

Restoring the industrial capacity needed is going to take time we really don’t have. Which means we need to really push to get things going now. If we wait until the ball drops…

We also need to gut and restructure procurement and R&D. Why? Take a look at any of the weapons development efforts by the Army in the last 10 years. Design by committee doesn’t work, and I honestly am not sure whether graft or incompetent micromanagement is the biggest danger to a weapons program. Think I’m joking? We’ve needed a new rifle for a while, where is it? Examine the efforts to develop such, and weep.

Drones, guns, whatever: open things up to a broader array of companies, run X-Prize operations, and find some way to stomp on the Not Invented Here (NIH) mentality that permeates military procurement. DoD is worse about COTS (unless it’s from the inner core of the usual suspects who know how to express gratitude) than NASA used to be about commercial products and operations, and that’s going some. Procurement badly needs to learn the lesson that perfect is the enemy of good enough, and that we don’t have decades to get things done. In fact, in some cases, I would say we have days instead of decades.

While I don’t mean to step on Sal’s or any of the naval bloggers toes, I will share something I saw somewhere on social media: naval leadership needs to look at real ships and readiness in 2025 instead of focusing on paper fleets for 2045. I would argue that the core principle applies to all services right now.

There is more, of course, but these are the two most critical parts of turning around the decline of our military.

On the subject of NATO, there is much that can be said and that needs to be discussed, from expansion to purpose. That said, we need to quit playing around in regards commitments. Given that I’ve discussed Germany (in particular) and others not meeting minimums before, I think we are at a point of fish or cut bait. There isn’t five to ten years for you to comfortably ramp up to the minimum you are obligated to do. You’re going to be lucky to get three. Figure it out, because the days of the U.S. being able to cover everything are done.

Taiwan is a subject for another day. I will simply say that to state or imply that the U.S. ideas on how the defense should be implemented are right and Taiwan’s is wrong is the height of hubris and incompetence. Given that our current leadership is incapable of organizing a drinking party in a distillery, we might should consider asking why they are doing certain things, study the details, and then make suggestions. I’ve already read a number of interesting reports and good suggestions from other milbloggers, so let’s not get too focused on the “experts” who haven’t been right on anything in years.

Falling From The Sky

More serious post coming tomorrow I hope, but for now, this. About 0200 this morning, my brain decided I needed to be up and thinking about skydiving. Since I had to suffer through it, thought I would share the suffering. Well, and some laughter too.

Many, many moons ago, I did indeed jump out of perfectly good airplanes and fall from the sky. I joined the university sky diving club, and in addition to the first jump lessons jumped in on much more. I learned to pack a chute, was getting trained on packing reserves, and enjoyed the company of a crazy but interesting group of people. Not going to share too many names and such, just in case any shenanigans might not have had their statute of limitations expire. Or some people might not want to admit they were at certain parties or did certain things including jump out of perfectly good airplanes.

I do still remember my first jump (thank you lightning for leaving that one intact). Beautiful day, puffy clouds in the sky, you really couldn’t ask for better. Now, being a small club we jumped from a small plane. No ramp, no standing in the door, just a somewhat uncomfortable ride up, hook up your static line (first jumps are made so you really have to work at it to F up), then get out on a little step/platform while holding onto the wing strut. Jumpmaster makes a final check, reassures you, then has you let go and go into proper jump position.

For me, I barely hit the arch when the static line hit and the chute opened. It’s hard to describe the sensation of the chute opening, but imagine King Kong yanking you up by your harness as hard as he can. Not bad, but you do feel it. Per training, I quickly checked to be sure my chute was good, then enjoyed the view. On my way down, I went through a cloud which was amazing. Cool, moist, slightly gray whispiness. Really wish it could have lasted longer as it was neat.

Soon it was time to land, and I actually made the drop zone. In what became a trend, my Parachute Landing Fall (PLF) was somewhat spectacular. Not in a good way either. But, any landing you walk away from jumping out of planes or flying them is a good one. I walked away, and mentally was ready to go again.

In short, it was a pretty good first jump. Not so much for my buddy who I will call “Mike”. Mike was a bodybuilder/weightlifter who had muscles on muscles. Even our baggy jump suits (designed to help you play flying squirrel while in freefall) could not hide his physique. What it did hide, however, was an issue for him.

Mike left the plane right after me, and I was looking around after checking my chute and such. I heard a scream above me, a male voice rising rapidly. I looked up, and there was Mike, literally pulling himself up his shrouds one-handed while the other frantically tried to get one of his leg straps off his balls. Yep, he made the mistake you only make once and had not gotten his leg straps in the right position. Baggy jump suits do make that a bit difficult to be fair. That said, the King Kong sensation I mentioned earlier becomes more like having Hammering Hank in his prime hit your groin with a baseball bat. Been told it feels like that for the ladies too.

Mike made it on down safely, did a good PLF, and oddly enough had his leg straps undone almost immediately. It was his first and last jump.

First jumps bring out a number of odd reactions. There was a young lady who wanted to jump and so went through the lessons the club offered. Seemed nice enough but also a bit flaky in some ways, so it was decided to hook her up with a voice-operated radio so she could be coached from the ground if need be. Our reserves had an automatic opening system, so you were pretty much guaranteed to make it down in one piece, one way or another.

I was on the ground near the instructors when she jumped, and we were all watching. She did two things not uncommon on a first jump. First, she screamed. She kept screaming, and we heard it clear as day courtesy of the voice-activated radio. Second, she was a runner. If she had been on the ground I think she would have done 0-60 in under five seconds. Unlike most, she kept running even after the chute opened.

Since she was still screaming, the instructors could not coach her. Which she needed as she seemed to forget everything she had been taught. She even pulled both toggles down at once, which collapses your chute. Radio useless, we all started shouting from the ground. Thankfully, she did finally release the toggles and the chute did open back up. Even with us yelling instructions up to her, I don’t think she ever did really steer herself towards the drop zone. Instead, she came down onto the parking apron of the airport, still running, hit, and pitched face forward into the asphalt. Proof that God looks after fools and drunks, she got up without a scratch.

As we were around her, making sure she was unhurt, she said something to the effect ‘that wasn’t so bad. Can I go again?” I think the resounding no from more than one person hurt her feelings. That said, I don’t think she realized how close she came to potentially being a cake — as in a splat cake. If she hadn’t let go of the toggles, no one was sure if the auto-deploy on the reserve would have work based on velocity. Add in the lack of steering and no attempt at PLF, well…

Besides, you did need to steer. One reason was that the airport where we jumped, there was a guard dog kennel nearby. The dogs there viewed our arrival each Saturday as if it was that of a Chicken Delight truck. I’m not saying they put on bibs and salivated as they watched us, but… One of the members I got to know had a close call with them, as his departure from the plane was such that it made hitting the airport interesting. Since we were using round chutes mostly (squares/parasails were a very new thing), you didn’t have a lot of maneuver.

The jumpmaster had put him out so that he ended up headed straight to the kennels. Frantically trying to steer away from them, he had to bring his knees up to his chest to clear the kennel fence. The dogs were jumping and trying to catch him before he got away. He later swore that there were marks from the dogs on the bottom of his boots. Lifting up his legs did let him clear, and he landed just a few feet outside the kennels.

Being a jumpmaster and telling people when to leave the plane is an art rather than a science. For some, I swear it was a Picasso painting with no science involved. After my first or second jump I switched to a precision round so that I had a bit more control and maneuverability even if you did hit a bit harder since it was smaller than a reserve. ‘Eh, you’ll probably hit the airport’ is not something you want to hear, and I swear it may have been the unofficial motto for the jumpmasters.

When they did a demo jump onto campus, not long before I joined I think, only a couple of the jumpers hit the large parade field that was the target. One jumper landed in the parking lot of an off-campus fraternity house, going over backwards onto a concrete parking bumper that shattered their helmet. Another took out the power line to an on-campus dorm with their jaw. Another landed on the other side of the dorm and I seem to remember a tree may have been involved.

But the most interesting miscalculation happened before I joined, and it not only put the jumper down well away from the airport but resulted in what I call The Gabriel Incident.

As I said, square chutes were just becoming a thing. The club had a member who bought one, which was brilliant white. Soon, his helmet, jump suit, and even boots I was told, were brilliant white. He made quite a sight when he jumped. It also almost got him badly hurt or worse.

Between the vagaries of jumpmasters, winds, and other delights, the club had a chase vehicle to go get those who landed away from the target. Not going to mention the year this was, but it was an early 70s station wagon in all it’s glory. And it was lucky it was available that day.

Let us just say that things went awry. Our intrepid jumper in white ended up well away from the airport, well out into the farmlands. By chance, he ended up landing near a small church of a non-traditional type. One person involved simply called it a ‘roller church’ but they were well into their service when the jumper flashed by their windows. Which apparently sent a number into paroxysms and cries of “Gabriel, Gabriel” filled the air.

At least until someone went outside, realized it was just a jumper, and decided that it had been done deliberately to mock them. Luckily, no torches or pitchforks were handy, but soon a small mob of people were after the jumper. So, here he is, chute wrapped up in his arms as he best can, running down a rural farm road with an angry mob intent of vengeance behind him.

The driver and others in the chase car came up on this scene and made a bold decision. They didn’t stop.

Instead, they got around the mob and the jumper, lowered the back window of the station wagon, and slowed down just enough he could push his chute into the back. Someone grabbed him and pulled him partly in, at which point the driver reportedly put the pedal to the metal and took off with the jumper’s legs still dangling out the back.

For obvious reasons, this remained a favorite story of the club. It also does make me wish that modern helmet-mounted video had been around then. It could be a tall tale, but I will say that I was warned to avoid going anywhere near a certain small church out in the country either on the ground or in the air, and they were serious when they said it.

No, I never did a nude jump. Had a couple of (female) members of the club taken part I probably would have. As it was, they had done one not long before I joined, and didn’t do another while I was a member.

My last jump was sadly not with the club. Another member and I went to another group to get some jumps in, and frankly it was a mistake. Let’s just say the people in that group were many things, including possibly sociopathic. Let’s just say that “George” of the magnificent mustache and I were glad to leave that day and may possibly have discussed tossing someone out of a plane sans parachute after finding out they had tossed animals out of the plane for fun. Or at least they claimed they had done so.

My memories are a bit fragmented (stupid lightning), but I can’t remember if a third person was with us or not. If not, it was George who came down almost a mile away because the jumpmaster mis-set the auto open on his reserve. It fired as he left the plane and went into freefall, leaving him no choice but to cut away his main and come down on reserve. No way to make the drop zone, there were winds, and his landing was reminiscent of the opening scenes of The Six Million Dollar Man. He sat up, waved to show he was okay, then went back down. Never would admit if he was out cold or not.

Me, I made my most spectacular landing yet. You can stall a round chute almost like a square, if you time things just right. That day, I did not get it right. Short version, I came to a picture-perfect stop — while still ten or more feet above a freshly plowed field. Think Wile E. Coyote frantically blowing up at a collapsed chute and that would have been me. I threw my back risers up, got out the word “Oh” and finished the phrase after I hit. When you bury yourself up to your knees in a freshly plowed field, there is no PLF. I went over on my back hard.

I was supposed to do a free-fall jump but between what had happened and what we had learned about our hosts, I was already not real eager. There were some issues repacking my chute, but I was assured all was good. In fact, it wasn’t until I was out on the jump step that the jumpmaster admitted all might not be good, but if there was an issue to just reach back ‘and beat the s*** out of it with your elbows.’ Think I made it back into the plane in less than half a second.

George and I were happy to leave that day, and we shared our adventure and what we had learned with the club and others. For me, it was right after that “adventure” that I got the opportunity to become a pilot. But, it was a choice of becoming a pilot or continuing to jump. So, I made the jump to flight.

It was fun, and I do miss it. Even with the changes, not sure how well my joints would take my doing another. An orthopedic surgeon who did some work on me at that time told me I had five more jumps in me, max. Don’t think I have that many in me now, and what I do have left I will save for an emergency.

I will say I was glad to miss the “cake” that happened later. Don’t know about new systems, but will simply say that you should not spend a lot of time trying to clear a malf because if you wait to less than a thousand feet to cut away and deploy your reserve, it will open and cover you like a shroud after you hit.

That said, part of me really would like to jump one of the modern squares. Maybe even do a tandem jump. Many jumpers, including the female members of the club at the time, referred to it as “The most fun you can have with your clothes on.” At the time I agreed, though today I would put flying and certain types of shooting in that category as well.

If you’ve got the itch, do it. Jumping out of planes is fun. If you don’t have the itch, well, shake your head at my adventures. Hope some of it made you laugh and smile.

Oh, one more thing. What do you do if a jumper freezes on the step? Some jumpmasters actually carried a baton to whack fingers. Or, as happened with a military jumper who wanted to try it our way, you have a pilot who just gives the jumpmaster a sadistic grin and puts the throttles full forward. Feet go out quick I’m told, and then the fingers peel off and off they go. And, occasionally, they did help someone back in. Depended on judgement and circumstances.

Thoughts On Indy Mayor’s Race

In some ways, thinking about the race for mayor (lack of capitalization deliberate) in Indianapolis is to think of state and national politics as well. It is in many ways a reflection on establishment politics, the concept of a uni-party, and what happens when you put the utterly unprincipled into leadership positions.

The Indianapolis I knew when I first moved up here years ago is gone. Replaced with a battered, bleeding hulk under mayor Joe Hogsbreath, er, Hogsett — who still won’t say where he was the night Indianapolis was abandoned to the rioters in the 2020 riots. Where were you Joe?

Between Joe’s ruinous policies and the pro-criminal antics of anti-prosecutor Ryan Mears, crime has set new records under Hogsbreath’s rule. IMPD is hemoraging officers and not doing so well on recruitment as anyone with a brain can look at what is going on and know that the city government will NOT have their back no matter what.

Downtown has become a place I largely avoid even in daytime, between regular crime and the problems with the homeless who are everywhere. It’s not just downtown either, as this spills out along various roads such as Washington Street. Aside from people driving motor vehicles on the Pennsy Trail, you also have to watch out for the mentally ill homeless as they use the trail both to get around and as a place to live. Before my last surgery kept me home, I knew of at least two homeless camps off the Pennsy, one of them being fairly large.

If you’ve read me for a while, you know my thoughts on IndyGo. What used to be a fairly good service to get people around seems to be being used as mobile shelters for the homeless, and a convenient and free means for even more interesting people to travel around. Hello Big Dog and posse!

In short, Joe Hogsbreath and company have nose-dived this city into the ground at a higher speed and a more spectacular fashion than Fang Fang’s plane in China. A third term will have this beautiful city looking like Detroit.

So, this year’s election was just a touch important. For all that the Indiana GOP seems to have some sort of agreement not to seriously contest Indy, there were a number of nominees on both sides of the aisle this year. I won’t get into them, as it is now a moot point. I will say that my preferred candidate on the democratic side did not unseat Hogsbreath (dammit). My preferred candidate on the republican side, did not win either (dammit).

Instead, the republicans elected a local politician and businessman named Jefferson Shreve. Interestingly enough, I had caught a few earfuls about him from someone into local politics a few years ago, and he did not give me any reason to vote for him. In fact, all I saw was talk and, in my opinion, a lot of smoke being blown up the rumps of the voters. To be honest, the guy sorta squicks me, which is not something thoughtful pundits are supposed to admit, but I’m tired of the dance and more inclined to being straightforward.

So, the voters send up an establishment republican to go up against one of the worst mayors in Indy history (IMO, the worst). The opportunity for a clear distinction on policy was amazing. So, what did Jefferson Shreve do?

He repudiated a prior pledge to support the second amendment, and put forth a public safety package that featured gun control front and center. A plan of which large chunks can’t legally be implemented, and of one part that could, the harshest punishment possible would be a fine. Yep, that will scare them straight. A plan built around proposals that were the centerpiece of Hogsbreath’s campaign.

This, needless to say, highly PO’d conservatives and republicans who support the Constitution. In turn, Shreve’s campaign attacked and denigrated those voters and appear to have sought comfort in the arms of Adam Wren and also the ultra liberal Indy Star. Yep, if I were a republican candidate in trouble with the base, that’s exactly where I would go for comfort and help (/sarc). Then again, his senior advisor is Lubbers, and you might want to search Lubbers and Lugar for some interesting reading.

I will note that Shreve did go on the Kendall and Casey show on WIBC (a station who’s listeners his campaign has repeatedly trashed). He was treated fairly but did face some tough questions. Wish Rob had asked the two I submitted. That said, he came across to me as someone with a wet flacid finger up checking the wind. To be honest, I thought of Dante and the shifters listening to him.

I will also note that Shreve did NOT go on to other shows, shows which had invited him. That spoke volumes, especially given his and his campaign’s attacks on Guy Relford and the Hammer and Nigel show. In fact, I would urge you to find the H&N podcast for July 26 and take a listen as most of the 3-7 show dealt with Shreve. I would also suggest you read this post from Guy Relford (previous link goes to his Twitter, which is full of dealings with the Shreve campaign).

So, to sum up here are my personal opinions on him. Shreve renounced his previous pledge to support the second amendment. Oathbreaker. He waited until after the primary to show his true colors. Opportunistic coward. Seems to change positions on the basis of current polls. Shifter. There’s more, but the key measures of the candidate are in the above.

What truly bothers me is not that Shreve is just another bottom-feeding establishment politician. It is that the Indy/Marion county GOP, the Indiana GOP, and the national GOP have all tacitly said they are good with this. That they support the dishonesty (and that’s exactly what waiting until after the primary was) and the attack on the Bill of Rights (for that is exactly what this is as well). Which, in my book, tells you everything you need to know about the establishment GOP. No surprise, as the Indiana GOP is the party of higher taxes and bigger government. That’s a column or three hundred right there…

And, there was such a great opportunity for a clear-cut distinction on policy and leadership. I agree with Rob Kendall that there were a couple of good things in the Shreve plan. Hogsbreath has been serving as his own public safety director. As such he needs to be fired from that position for gross incompetence.

Indy needs a PSD, a return to proven and effective community policing and other programs, to support good law enforcement, and a commitment to mental health. Not politic or woke to admit, but the homeless largely suffer from addiction and mental health issues. You want to turn things around for the homeless (and us), start there.

Yes, Indy just re-elected Ryan Mears over a far better qualified candidate. May they get it harder and faster as they deserve, and I say that living here. Yes, I do want out. For a brief moment, there was the (faint) promise of the chance to prevent a Hogsbreath third term. A term that will destroy this city. Instead, we got Jefferson Shreve.

I will not vote for him. I don’t care about a letter after a candidates name. I care about the quality, the integrity, the honesty of the candidate. As such, I don’t care that he may be the lesser of two evils, to vote on that basis is still to vote for evil. Just don’t. Earn my vote, don’t contemptuously expect it because of a letter after your name or a rote recital of things you don’t believe.

Yes, this means Hogsbreath will win. That was pretty much a foregone conclusion anyway, and the city will fall even further. Shreve had a chance to show true leadership and possibly even win. Hard though it is to say, better he show his colors now, rather than later.

Saturday Morning Takes

Sorry, had planned to get one or more things posted yesterday, but weather and basement issues got in the way. The house where I rent a room in the basement was built either in the late 1930s or 1940s, with driveway design and other systems not exactly to modern standards. The sewer system and storm water drains in the neighborhood haven’t really been upgraded since then either I understand.

So, when we first moved in there were some signs of past flooding, and then we experienced some of our own. Yes, I lost some things and had some others damaged in one of them. No, I am not happy about it. Yes, I try to keep on the landlord as needed. To be fair, he’s dropped quite a bit of $$,$$$ on the issue including replacing the sewer line out to the property line and having work done inside as well.

One of the things he did was to install a sump pump in the trench drain across the bottom of the driveway. We have one of those fun drives that goes around the house, and there is a steep drop down to the garage. Guess where the water pours down to from around half the house? The sump pump sends the water up to the front of the house via inch+ line, and thence down the hill to the street.

Been a good system and we’ve had few issues with it in place. However, I’ve been suggesting that he needed to check and test that pump for a bit now. Heck, I want it on a BBS. Yesterday morning, we got storms and the trench drain filled up, overflowed, and was headed to the garage which is in the basement. Multiple checks by me confirmed the pump was not working. We got lucky, and did not flood

In between storms, the landlord checked on the sump pump which was warm or hot to the touch according to him, but not working. He got out an older pump that has to be manually activated, got it hooked to a hose, and it did get used. Had to go move the end of the hose as having the water come back down the drive was counterproductive, and was not amused at being out more than once in all this with lightning in the area (though thankfully at a good distance). New automatic pump is supposed to be delivered today. Needed, as we’ve already had one round of storms early this morning that had me checking things.

Needless to say, that sorta blew my planned posting for yesterday as well as getting to the gym. Instead, I played jack-in-the-box jumping up to check various things. Hoping to get to the gym here in just a bit.

The other day I talked about the uproar around getting Sgt. Gee to Arlington. In part, I noted:

Right now, all we can do is keep digging, wait, and see what comes to light. The true full story may not be what it appears, or it may be far worse than we think.

Jeff Schogol at Task and Purpose has written that the story was incorrect. That the government was never asked for money and did not deny any payment or assistance. I am relieved, but am also left with even more questions, and am not sure things still pass the smell test. As it is, I am glad she is in Arlington, and that her service and death are being honored.

Oh, and on the Russian front (all puns intended), if you’ve been reading that Pringles was dead, arrested, etc., you need to find better sources to read. He’s been in public taking part in diplomatic conferences and doing other things. Good reason to think my suspicions that Wagner is going to pivot to the Middle East and Africa as primary areas of activity seem to be on the mark. Take a look at the coup in Niger and who has just offered troops and other services to the new regime. Pringles and Vladimir may no longer be best buds, but the Kremlin is clearly planning on using Wagner for work overseas.

If needed, remind me that I need to go back to some previous writings and discuss what it will take to ensure peace in Europe (and elsewhere) as what there are some interesting signs in that regard. Still think it very dangerous, but…

Am hoping to get a local politics post up later, as the local situation has some national implications. It also points out why I want to get moved as soon as practical after my next surgery.

UPDATE: Made it to the gym, did well, feel good, added in something to the mix as well. Stopped by a historic diner nearby and grabbed a salad. Their buttermilk chicken is good fried or grilled. The salad will make at least one more meal, if not two. Wow. Local politics may have to wait, as I’m a sated and somewhat sleepy wolf right now.

More soon.

Between Annoyed And Giving Thanks

A week or so ago, I rejoined the local Y as it is close and they give seniors and those on limited incomes special pricing. Options being limited, having to make use despite how woke the Y has become as an institution.

Given that there were storms forecast for later this afternoon and some other factors, I went early as I was supposed to kick things up a bit today. After the aerobic/cardio workout, I was doing my E-gym work and was supposed to add in some regular machines afterwards. Right now, no upper body at all, concentrating on the aerobic/cardio and waist-and-below work. I’ve got goals in regards waist, lower-body, and cardio-response. For now, taking it very carefully and building.

The E-gym equipment is designed to make it almost impossible for people to screw up, and to get the most out of each workout. Not completely sold on the latter, but the former is a good thing for someone already in PT. You have to get a special wrist band, then you are fitted to each machine by a trainer, do an initial strength/mobility test, then the machine will guide you through a workout. Everything is stored in the wrist band, hit it near the sensor and you are good to go. Right now, hitting back extension, crunches, leg press, leg curls, and leg extensions. Not sure I will ever get back up to 400lb leg presses, but am curious how close I can safely get.

Today, if all had gone as planned, I was going to be adding regular weight machines for additional lower body strength (and some flexibility). Add in some of my daily PT routine, and it would have been a great workout.

Great plan. Right up until lightning hit very close by. As in I wasn’t sure the building (which is rather extensive) might not have been hit. We were informed that unless power came back on pretty much immediately, everyone would need to evacuate. While I had only worn my gym shorts, I was wearing my shirt jacket with all the pockets. One of which had a Streamlight stylus pro in the pen slot. Given that large portions of the upper floor area were pitch dark, I played lamppost and helped get people safely to and down the stairs. Think I’m going to put the Streamlight pro tac light I usually keep in a pants pocket in the shirt jacket from now on when only wearing gym pants. We really could have used those extra lumens.

So, annoyed that I didn’t get to add in the new stuff, and because I was rocking the last E-gym machine. Power went out right as I was about to finish. Giving Thanks that the lightning was no closer than it was. When it hit, part of my mind went ‘I know that tune…’

Remember, Preparedness Pays! And if you don’t have something besides your phone for emergency light, you are not fully prepared.

Quick Takes

Sorry to be so silent, but things are moving along. Mostly in good ways.

First, we entered a new phase of physical therapy, which is much more active. Good news is, already seeing yet more increase in range of motion. Also, figuring out where the issues are and having a lot more discomfort, and even some pain. The latter is usually brief, thankfully; but, the discomfort has been a bit more of a bear. It also probably doesn’t help that I’m trying to cut back (cut out pref.) acetaminophen as it doesn’t do as much as I would like and is frankly toxic. Take a look at liver deaths for people with chronic pain for but one example of why I want to be off it.

Add to that I’m hitting the gym three times a week. Main focus is aerobic/cardio, but also doing my home PT there as much as possible. I’ve bought a couple more things for home, so that when my paid PT runs out I can keep going. Going to look into trying to raise funds to do some more PT after insurance stops. We’ve changed things now to twice a week to make what I do have last, and paid might be as little as once every two weeks (or even once a month). Working on it.

Now, for the stories and events I’m following and find interesting.

First up, this one involving getting Sgt. Nicole Gee to Arlington sent me through the roof yesterday. As I noted on social media, if true I want heads on pikes. Problem is, the story is not adding up with the information given in the media. This is not to say it is a fake. This is just saying that at this time, with the information we have, it does not make sense. I’ve been talking with Beege Welborn at HotAir, who knows far too well what is involved with Arlington burials.

I’m hoping she can come up with more than I have, as right now there seems to be a lot of duck-and-cover going on in anticipation of a major shit storm rolling down. Lots of insinuation, but no real facts yet.

I know that at one point in time the Army had a liaison assigned to each family of the fallen to help. I will note that it is my understanding that Arlington assigns a liaison to the families to help with the process. That would include coordination on preparations and transportation if they are being reinterred. Depending on location of prior burial and other considerations, there may be an exhumation fee and there will be a fee to transport a body. In this case, such should be covered by DoD, especially in this case. Frankly, SecDef should have sent his personal plane given the responsibility he and senior leaders have in her death.

The $100k figure quoted in the article appears to be the cost of a fully-staffed air ambulance to transport a patient coast-to-coast. The $60k is still a mystery to me. Exhumation should not have been more than about $7k, more likely towards $1k in a civilian cemetery, and there should have been no charge if she was buried at a military cemetery. Major carrier like Delta or AA, if they didn’t do it for free, should have been about $3k (cargo rate). Maybe $5k if special containment required for some odd reason. If a local funeral home had to be involved with taking her body from Dulles to Arlington, there might have been a fee.

While we wait for more information, I will simply note that we are sadly long removed from the days of Taking Chance. Can I see multiple failures of command and leadership resulting in a series of FUBARs by multiple individuals military and civil service? Far too easily I’m afraid. In fact, from some of the reactions the story is getting I’m sort of leaning that way, but I also admit to cynicism and bias.

Right now, all we can do is keep digging, wait, and see what comes to light. The true full story may not be what it appears, or it may be far worse than we think. If the latter, people need to be immediately cashiered from uniformed and civil service.

The other story I’m watching is the alleged drone attack on the MoD in Moscow. I say alleged for a reason, as there is no evidence of any drones anywhere near there. The damage looks far more like someone opened up with the AD guns (as opposed to missiles) either shooting at ghosts or shooting in a panic. Right now, leaning towards a combination of vodka for the right parties and panic at an imaginary threat. That said, if I wanted to truly fuck with the readiness of an enemy’s AD readiness, sending someone in with the gear to create ghosts at random would be a good way to do it.

I will also note the stupidity and cupidity of our leadership in going along with the insane concept promoted by Russia that it is an illegal act of terror for a country it has invaded to attack its territory. Can anyone find me a citation of any historical precedent for such? This is Vladimir in his dirty and frayed undershirt screaming at the police that if the bitch had just not resisted she wouldn’t be dead on a larger scale.

Here’s a clue to Vladimir and others: if you invade a sovereign nation, bomb not just its capital but most cities and target civilians, they have the right to return the favor. That’s not escalation in any way shape or form, just a legal and proper response to your aggression. I understand that what you are saying is for an internal audience, but the rest of us can point at it and you and laugh and laugh and laugh.

More soon.

Surgical Update

I met with the orthopedic surgeon this morning, and he smiled as I deliberately shook his hand. The short version is that he is (very) pleased with how things are going. So much so I can now start to work on moving my hand behind my back (within limitations), using weights, and even joining a gym. In short, I can start working towards resuming normal activities.

He is also willing to back the request by the physical therapist to my insurance company for additional PT sessions. I hope we can start work on that paperwork tomorrow even. Within the limitations, lots to do but it’s a challenge I can deal with. So long as I continue to have flashes of discomfort and little to no real pain, life is good.

During my surgery, I had asked him to take a photo and he did. Sadly, can’t share it, but I now know why I’ve had so much pain and mobility issues. The X-rays showed a lot, but the photo drove it home. One side of the ball was a mass of adhesions, spurs, and similar delights. The rest of the ball, well, no cartilage and instead of smooth white bone it looked like the lunar surface.

I’ll go back to him in six weeks, and if all is still going well, we are going to talk about going ahead and doing the left shoulder. I have a practical criteria for if I am ready (involves activities around cooking), but will also be getting input from PT and maybe others.

While we didn’t really get into it, don’t see any easy solutions for the neck, lower back, or hands. Osteoarthritis just doesn’t get the research other forms do, and so there are not a lot of viable treatments even for advanced severe osteoarthritis. All the more reason I need to move West ASAP. For insurance reasons, need to get anything I can dealt with now. Sadly, really need to hit the lotto to try regenerative medicine options.

That said, got a reminder last night of the need to get moved soon. The basement — thankfully not my living area — flooded again for the first time in more than a year. So glad we don’t have cameras downstairs as the sight of me running around in my boxers while wearing Matterhorn hazmat boots and a scapular would be interesting. I’m focused on being proactive to prevent more, the landlord seems more in denial in some ways. Then again, I’m not the one who’s probably dropped around $40k on re-doing sewers and drains.

The house was built in the late 30s/early 40s I think; the area sewer system dates from the 1930s in this area of the city (maybe even the 20s); and, we have that lovely steep drive down to the basement garages characteristic of homes from that era. The way things are done, rain from most of the driveways (both sides of the house) is essentially focused into going down that slope, which is why there is a trench drain at the bottom. Problem is it can get overwhelmed so we actually have a sump pump in it to pump rainwater out, up, and down the front away from the house. When it works, it’s good but I’m not sure it cut on last night.

Oh well, we will survive. I really want to be out West ASAP, but may have to do an intermediate step to get out of Indy and the ring counties for now. That said, it is convenient being a city block from the doctor and hospital where the ortho work is getting done. On a nice day, it takes me about ten minutes to walk to appointments.

In short, thankful for how well things are going. Looking at next steps on several levels, and in getting as much taken care of as possible. Going to pick up some additional PT items just to be safe.

More soon.

Alive Days Weekend

I will be trying to reply if and as needed to comments and such, but I also hope to mostly take the weekend off. I’m celebrating a bit this weekend.

This weekend represents a combination of alive days, including surviving getting hit by lightning on June 30 two years ago. Like I say, several days, one weekend of celebration/contemplation. Plan to relax, enjoy life, and give thanks that I’m still around to enjoy all of it.

More soon.

IRR????

Okay, the Biden Regency is moving to tap the IRR. If memory serves (stupid lightning) the last time we did this was the First Gulf War. W considered it during the GWOT but if I remember correctly (and a veteran on social media is right) it ended up being extremely limited to some very specialized MOS. The howls of outrage from the media and elsewhere over even thinking of tapping the IRR were long and loud. Word is, those forced back in during FGW were far from happy (massive understatement) and made that known.

For the GWOT, I would note that things were done to allow IRR who wanted to return to volunteer to do so. While there were (apparently) a few very select MOS pulled back involuntarily, a number did indeed volunteer to return.

For those not familiar, there are two elements to our national military reserve. When you sign on that dotted line, you are not just signing up for a single hitch, no matter what you may think. While you have options, you also incur some non-discretionary obligations.

Most people are familiar with the Selected Reserve (SELRES) where people join the National Guard or Reserve after an active-duty hitch or hitches, and maintain active status while participating in regular drills, training, etc. You maintain an active military ID and at need you can get that bright and joyous notice that you are recalled to active duty.

A lot of the public is unfamiliar with the IRR, or Individual Ready Reserve. Technically, that’s pretty much anyone who has ever served. Some in the IRR are completing terms of military service, and the fact that IRR members can be involuntarily recalled is often downplayed IMO. The idea is to have a cadre of (semi) trained troops that can be called upon “in time of national crisis.” In other words, something really bad has happened.

IRR does not maintain current military ID, does not drill or participate in regular training, draw uniforms, etc. They do have to do a yearly readiness screening. Cough.

So, drawing on the IRR is not something one does lightly. Those recalled have to be brought back in, the rust blown off, and unless they are recently detached that takes time. Those pulled back in involuntarily are likely to be a bit grumpy and uncooperative. Cough.

So, the decision by the Biden Regency to use the IRR is raising eyebrows in the military/veteran community. I’ve heard rumors that this particular action in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve is normal and happens every year. However, I’ve not been able to confirm that and people who should know if it is true or not have not said it is. Going to keep an ear open on that.

The use of Guard/Reserve troops in support is not surprising. There are units that are tasked to step into various roles, including critical roles, in the event of war and that they would take part is a given (and smart). It’s the use of IRR that is concerning.

Absent a national crisis that has depleted resources in Active and Guard/Reserve formations, or pulling a few people with extremely select MOS, why hit the IRR?

I fear it says much about our readiness, manning, and capabilities. If we are in a position where Active and Guard/Reserve formations can’t provide enough manpower (and the correct manpower), we are in deep trouble. Then again, we’ve known the military was in trouble for a while. That said, the use of the IRR would tend to indicate that things are a lot worse than we thought.

This is another one of those where I hope I’m wrong and the info I getting from those I trust is wrong. I really hope this is just limited to a very small number of people with a very specific MOS who have recently left service. Otherwise, what it says about our ability to fight a one-front war, much less the two-front we are supposed to be capable fighting, borders on terrifying.

NOTE: VodkaPundit has, as usual, a good take on this.