Monday Book Pick: Not A Good Day to Die
Not A Good Day to Die by Sean Naylor
This is the story of Operation Anaconda. The book covers it from its first planning stages in January 2002, through its conclusion in early March 2002. Up to this point, the war in Afghanistan had been conducted mainly by US Special Forces troops working with various Afghanistan groups and calling in US air assets. Anaconda was the first operation to involve large scale use of regular US forces. In this case elements of the 10th Mountain Division and the 101st Airborne Division. The first third of the book covers the planning and the background of the key players. This is fairly dry, but interesting and informative on why and how the fog of war effected the operation. Intelligence said that there were 200-250 Al Qaeda fighters in the intended AO. The plan was for Afghan forces, with Special Forces ‘advisers’ to confront the enemy, with ‘escape routes’ to be blocked by Afghan forces and elements of the 10th Mountain and 101st Airborne. The motto, ‘no plan survives contact with the enemy’ is often referenced in various forms in this book. There were a lot more than 250 AQ fighters, estimates put it at 800 or more. They opened up the US forces almost immediately after they got out their helicopters with small arms, heavy machine guns, mortars, and in some cases artillery. The US forces responded with much more accurate fire and air strikes. Lots and lots of air strikes. From the CIA’s armed Predator drones to B-52s dropping JDAM bombs. The most effective though were the Apache helicopters, which got close enough to see the enemy and pour firepower right were it was needed. The fighting continued much longer than expected, in areas were it wasn’t expected, from a well dug in, and well supplied enemy force. Many of which got too see Allah personally. A well written book about a major operation that dispelled the common notion in early 2002, that the war in Afghanistan was almost over.
Round Up Post
Filed under: Barking Moonbats, Culture of Corruption, Our Dear Leader, Politics, RKBA
Let’s start with a couple of RKBA related stories. The city of Chicago, were over 40 people shot and four killed last weekend, has to pay the NRA nearly $1 million in legal fees. A recent study shows that violent crime has gone down as conceal carry permits have been issued to more law abiding Americans. This makes sense to anyone capable of rational thought and basic logic. It makes moonbats go bat shit crazy though, since it doesn’t fit their far left extremist agenda.
The IRS admits that they scrubbed Lois Learner’s hard drive clean back in 2011.
A federal judge has tossed out a Obama administration request to have law suits against the IRS dropped. Legal action by nearly a dozen Tea Party groups targeted by the IRS can go forward. Expect more hard drive “crashes”.
Round Up Post
First, let’s take a look at our Dear Leader’s former city of residence, Chicago. This is where he made his mark as a “community organizer”, found religion at Rev. Wright’s weekly sermons laced with hate speech, became a state senator, met and married his beard, and where the two daughters were born. In that tribute to over fifty years of straight democrat reign, more than 40 people were shot last weekend. That included four dead. One of which was an eleven year old girl at sleep over. In case you didn’t know this fact already, Chicago has some of the strictest “gun control” laws in the country. This illustrates why they are more accurately called “victim disarmament” laws.
We have learned that congressional subpoenas cause IRS hard drives to crash. The IRS’ refusal to supply information under subpoena has gotten so blatant, that even Lanny Davis, former Clinton spokes weasel, says it is time for special prosecutor. The count of IRS hard drives that crashed due to subpoena as seven. It just almost tripled.
It should not be a surprise to anyone paying attention, but the Obama White House knew of the upcoming flood of illegal aliens crossing the boarder well in advance. They didn’t do anything to avoid it. Remember their motto, “Never let a crisis go to waste.”
Another Clinton spokes weasel, David Axelrod, made tweet that pointed out the Mitt Romney as right, and Barry was, once again, completely and utterly wrong.
Monday Book Pick: Sunset of the Gods
Sunset of the Gods by Steve White
Jason Thanou is back (26 Aug 2013 Book Pick) and things are getting even weirder in his trips to the past. He finds out that there are worse things than finding that the anicent Greek Gods were aliens mucking with human development. At least they were slowing dying out. One a mission to observe, from a lot closer viewpoint than he planned, the battle of Marathon, things go pear shaped right quick when he runs into Pan!
Quote of the Day
“The only way Putin is in danger from Obama, is if Putin is blocking the door to a fundraiser Obama’s late to get to.”
Friday B-Movie Pick: The Octagon
Going way, way, back to 1980 for this Chuck Norris classic. In this movie, he takes on his brother, played by Tadashi Yamshita (OK, one of them was clearly adopted), who went over to the “Dark Side” and set up a Ninja training camp for mercenaries. Norris, who is busy training for his next big fight, doesn’t want to get involved, but does anyway. Many the Ninja fall to his deadly, Ninjia killing inside crescent kicks. Of course there is the big brother on brother fight to the death, and plenty of gun fu as well.
Time to review some numbers
Filed under: economy, Obama Economy, Our Dear Leader, Politics
Let’s start with the BLS unemployment numbers.
The U3 number for June 2014 was 6.1%. Now if you were paying attention, you would know that there was a net gain of over 200,000 jobs in June. Which is generally a good thing, since it was about double what is needed to just offset population growth. Anemic growth by other recovery standards, but pretty damn good in the Obama economy. If you were paying attention to the details, you wouldn’t be popping the corks on the bubbly yet. Those 200,000 new jobs were part of the 700,000 new part time jobs, offset by a loss of 500,000 full time jobs. Yup, in the Obama economy, full time work with benefits is out, and wearing a name tag and asking, “Would you like fries with that?” is in.
It gets worse for minorities. They key democrat voting blocks of blacks, hispanics, and the ‘youth vote’ have gotten the nasty end of the shafting in the Obama economy. These are the official government June unemployment numbers from the BLS. Look ’em up if you don’t believe ’em.
Hispanics: 7.8%
Blacks: 10.7%
Aged 16-19: 21.0%
You know that the overall 6.1% number is only so low because the feds have stopping counting more and more of the long term unemployed. “Not in the labor” force is at 92.2 million and still climbing. If they were added back in, that number would be comfortably in the double digits. So inflate the minority numbers by the same factor and you have 2 out of ten black Americans out of work.
Compare and contrast to the Reagan Recovery, where unemployment for minorities when down and their net income went up. To be honest, unemployment was down and net income was up for everyone. That is what you get when you have an economic policy geared for growth, rather than ‘income distribution.”
Monday Book Pick: Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
The first book in the Amber series. Two sets of five books, plus a fist full of short stories and an amazing amount of fan fiction. It starts with a common theme for the author. The protagonist has to discover who he is, and why he is in a bunch of trouble. In this case he just isn’t a very long lived mercenary who wakes up in a private ‘sanatorium’, where the staff tries to keep him heavily sedated. Nope, nothing that simple. It gets weirder from there damn quick and stays there! Zelazny has the delightful talent of taking the line between fantasy and Science Fiction and using it to play jump rope. For Carl Corey is really Prince Corwin of Amber. The Kingdom at the center of all the varied realities. Toss in some wonderfully detailed sword fights (Zelazny was a fencer and an Aikido instructor), massive battles, treachery, and that special blend of wry Zelazny humor, and you will be be looking for the next book in the series straight off.
Friday B-Movie Pick: Independence Day Double Header
It’s an Independence Day double header. I’m going once again go with the 1972 film version of the Broadway musical 1776. Based on the Broadway play, it tells the tale of getting the resolution on Independence passed through the Continental Congress in the summer of 1776. William Daniels is quite good as John Adams, but it is Howard Da Silva as Benjamin Franklin who steals the show. The second film was the 4th of July weekend pick for 2009. It is the story of Crocumentary filmmaker Michael Malone (name slightly changed so you will be sure which fat communist bastard it is supposed to be), who wants to ban the “4th of July” and is visited by the Ghost of John F. Kennedy, who tells that he will be visited by three spirits. Very funny, and a great cast, and of course the ghost of General Patton slaps the fat bastard!
Is this change you were hoping for?
Filed under: Culture of Corruption, Our Dear Leader, Politics, Romney
While there still are deranged cultists out there who blindly support any action by our Dear Leader, the shine is off the Rose for a growing number of Americans who are getting tired of having their collective noses rubbed in Barry’s incompetence.
This can been seen in a recent Quinnipiac University survey that listed Barack Hussein Obama as the worst President since WWII. While this is good news for Jimmy Carter, it is not good news for America, or its citizens. Just to dig the knife of reality a little deeper into the moonbats, Ronald Reagan as listed as the best president since WWII. The poll also showed that move voters feel that GOP nominee Mitt Romney would have been a better choice in 2012. A fact that was clear to anyone paying attention during the 2012 election cycle.
Pollster John Zogby sums it up well, ““In short, we see a president in full salvage mode. He is not only racing for his legacy but for his relevancy.”
At least one newspaper has retracted their 2008 endorsement of our Dear Leader. Hat tip to Mr. Reynolds, who nails it shut in his commentary, “The wave of enthusiasm for an inexperienced ideologue with backing from the corrupt Chicago machine was a species of mass hysteria. It’s nice to see it wearing off, and reality being confronted.”
Forbes Magazine explains Obama’s Secret Neo-Con Agenda.
Our Dear Leader’s policies have lead to what the Washington Examiner correctly calls a “Dangerous precedent.”
Gallup reported this week that Americans now have more confidence in the police and the military than they do in the three branches of the U.S. government — which is not exactly a healthy place to be in a constitutional republic.
The Washington Post reports that the Male-female pay gap remains entrenched at White House.
Meanwhile, in the southern border states, Obama’s ‘Brown Shirts’ are actively silencing medical personnel who are dealing with the flood of illegal aliens on the Texas-Mexico border. Medical personnel are under threat of arrest if they talk, but some are talking anyway.
Just how is that hopey-changey thing workin’ for ya?