To You and Yours

Happy Hanukkah

... proclaimed President Obama as he simultaneously reversed a policy of long standing and had the U.S. abstain from a vote at the UN condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank  and calling for them to end. I doubt that any photo ops were allowed to avoid recording the smirk on his face. It took a lot of chutzpah to be quite so brazen in knifing a friend.

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/12/23/hanukkah-obama-wishes-jews-happy-chanukah-stabs-israel-un/

Situational Awareness

Situational awareness is critical for fighter and attack pilots - where are the threats, what are they, where am I, etc. I have been a critic of the new Lockheed F-35 program as too expensive, too long-delayed, and not capable enough. The final judgment, however, belongs to the guys who have to fly them into combat and a number of them are saying some pretty good things about this airplane:

"My first “aha” moment was a seemingly simple thing. I was executing a familiarization flight near MCAS Yuma. I was coming back to the airfield and I basically just turned the jet and pointed its nose at Yuma. Immediately the jet is providing me the information of all the traffic that is out there in the airspace. When I talk to approach for the first time they are telling me about the traffic that is out there that I already know about and I see it. I can tell who everybody is that he is talking about and the jet also saw traffic that ATC hadn’t seen yet and I asked about it." 

"I was leading a four ship of F-35s on a strike against 4th Gen adversaries, F-16s and F/A-18s. We fought our way in, we mapped the target, found the target, dropped JDAMs on the target and turned around and fought our way out. All the targets got hit, nobody got detected, and all the adversaries died. I thought, yes, this works, very, very, very well. Never detected, nobody had any idea we were out there."

"I am coming in to perform the simulated weapons release, and Red Air is coming the other direction. I have enough situational awareness to assess whether Red Air is going to be a factor to me by the time I release the weapon. I can make the decision, I’m going to go to the target, I’m going to release this weapon. Simultaneously I pre-target the threat, and as soon as I release the A2G weapon, I can flip a switch with my thumb and shoot the Red Air. This is difficult to do in a 4thGen fighter, because there is so much manipulation of systems in the cockpit. All while paying attention to the basic mechanics of flying the airplane and interpreting threat warnings that are often very vague, or only directional. In the F-35 I know where the threats are, what they are and I can thread the needle. I can tell that the adversary is out in front of me and I can make a very, very smart decision about whether to continue or get out of there. All that, and I can very easily switch between mission sets."

These are Marine pilots who get down in the weeds with their fellow Marines and they are notoriously no-nonsense and these are good reports. Time will tell but maybe I and a lot of others were wrong and we have a winner here. I hope so for the sake of the folks who fly them and the security of our country.

theaviationist.com/2016/12/08/four-of-the-most-experienced-usmc-f-35b-pilots-speak-about-their-aircraft-and-they-say-its-exceptional/

Huh?

National Review reports that our neighbor to the north is considering legislation to allow people to carry pepper spray for self-protection, guns already having been banned, Of course there is dissent. Always. For example: 

"Canada’s minister of status of women, Patty Hajdu, has denounced a proposal that would allow Canadians to carry pepper spray, saying it’s “offensive” to women because it focuses on women protecting themselves rather than on stopping men from attacking."

Well, ah, okay Patty, so we shouldn't arm cops - excuse me, Mounties - because we're not focusing on stopping criminals? What's in your tea up there?

www.nationalreview.com/article/442899/canadian-politician-pepper-spray-offensive-women-men-rape

Silent Night

Snow that sticks is a rarity in Western Oregon but today it did and I like it. Everything has slowed down, which is entirely appropriate 11 days before Christmas. The traffic sounds are muffled to non-existent, hurried shopping trips have ceased. It's nice, this respite. Friends in snowier climes laugh but that's alright. There's peace on earth here tonight and that is a good thing anywhere. May the peace of the Lord be with you wherever you may be, snow or not. 

Holiday Travel Fun

Airlines are starting to bring back some amenities to the coach section but Delta clearly has outdone itself. The airline now offers free assistance to deboard on its flights! Take a look at the video in the link and see how the new service works. Awesome! Kidding. 

This gal walked on the plane without checking in or showing a boarding pass. That's a no-no and Detroit's finest provided deboarding assistance to her. Passengers flying with her said she had a huge case of attitude. Well, no altitude because of attitude for this senorita. Holiday flying - ain't it great!

www.foxnews.com/travel/2016/12/13/woman-dragged-off-delta-flight-by-police-after-reportedly-failing-to-check-in-at-gate.html

Color Me Skeptical

The Polar Vortex is caused by Global Warming, right? That's at least the current line. But wait - notice the date on the photo above. That's right, 1974 and it says the earth was in for a disastrous period of Global Cooling. Say what? As Delingpole notes in the the article linked below, perhaps warming and cooling cycles are just normal variations and we're in a cooling cycle now. Honest, I really think we can quit hyperventilating and spending kazillions of dollars on this, money that can be put to much better uses. 

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/12/10/polar-vortex-next-big-thing-climate-scaremongering/

One Who Was Saved

China has a one-child policy that is sexist in operation in that many parents abort girls in favor of boys whom they see as better able to support them in their dotage. This is a nice story about Anni Zhang, a young lady whose parents refused to abort her and who ultimately left China with them for the United States. Ms. Zhang is now getting ready for her debut at Carnegie Hall after she won an international piano competition. Think about her the next time someone blithely talks about a "woman's right to choose" and think instead about all the world class musicians, scientists, athletes, etc. who have been lost to the world. And enjoy the talent of one who was not.

www.wnd.com/2016/12/girl-who-was-not-supposed-to-be-born-heading-to-carnegie/

Methuselah Lives!

Mick Jagger just had baby #8 at age 73. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din. Good luck dude. 

www.breitbart.com/news/mick-jagger-welcomes-baby-no-8-at-age-73/

Elections Have Consequences

And good ones, apparently. U.S. Steel CEO Mario Longhi said that his company and the steel industry as a whole may rehire as many as 10,000 workers because of anticipated improvements in the tax laws and a reduction in excessive environmental regulations. On top of Carrier and Ford, Trump is producing an upswing in American jobs before he even takes office. May it continue and expand after January 20.

townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2016/12/09/us-steel-wants-to-bring-back-10000-jobs-n2257013

Small Victories

Macy's announced that it has ceased contributions to Planned Parenthood. Good for Macy's not wanting to be associated with a baby body parts supplier! Several other major corporations dropped PP last year after the body parts scandal broke, including AT&T, Coca Cola, Ford and Xerox. Good for them too! Step-by-step the pro-life side is winning the battle against this monstrous evil. 

www.lifenews.com/2016/12/07/macys-we-no-longer-donate-to-planned-parenthood-abortion-business/?

A Modest Proposal for College Reform

Victor Davis Hanson (who is in residence at the Hoover Institute at Stanford) makes a modest proosal to reform colleges that are charging students a bazillion dollars for an education that all too often doesn't even qualify them to handle the counter at Starbuck's:

"... how bizarre that colleges audit high-school diplomas by giving college-entrance tests (their theory being that straight A’s from Selma High school in California’s Central Valley are not comparable to straight A’s at the Menlo School in the Silicon Valley), but the schools themselves are not audited. Surely higher education would not object to a national college-exit exam as a requirement for receiving a bachelor’s degree. Call it a smaller version of the bar exam, or perhaps a reverse SAT or ACT test."

I like it. Everyone else is regulated, as Hanson notes, why not colleges? Why not indeed!
www.nationalreview.com/article/442777/biased-media-left-wing-colleges-ripe-reform-trump

Why Abolishing the Electoral College is a Colossally Bad Idea

Michael Barone, the election technician par excellence, tells us in Townhall why abolishing the electoral college would lead to California (and a few other big cities) imposing its political values on the rest of us poor schlubs. If you have seen the voting maps of the recent Presidential election, it was a solid sea of red washing against the shores of a few blue islands scattered across the country, mostly on the two coasts. These are the major cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. If the U.S. were to shift to a popular election for President, it wouldn't matter how closely divided the country was, the major cities could impose their collective will on the country. And they have been run so well. 

townhall.com/columnists/michaelbarone/2016/12/06/ditching-electoral-college-would-allow-california-to-impose-imperial-rule-on-a-colonial-america-n2255270

Stephen Moore, also in Townhall, documents how middle class voters are fleeing these states because the quality of life and their business environments are atrocious with high taxes, high regulations, and sclerotic environmental regulations. Those fleeing understand that, as Moore points out:

"Even when it comes to income inequality, blue states fare worse than red states. According to a 2016 report by the Economic Policy Institute, three of the states with the largest gaps between rich and poor are those progressive icons New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Sure, Boston, Manhattan and Silicon Valley are booming as the rich prosper. But outside these areas are deep pockets of poverty and wage stagnation."

Even though they are consistently losing population, the big Blue states open the immigration floodgates to replace the middle class that is getting out of Dodge with low skill, government aid-dependent immigrants to keep their voting margins. The rich get richer and the poor poorer. Oh well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. 
townhall.com/columnists/stephenmoore/2016/12/06/the-progressivestate-depression-n2255643

One last interesting tidbit. Would it be a surprise that a map of the high crime areas across the United States corresponds closely to the voting map above? The answer is "no" if you have been paying attention but the politicians always wager that you are not. Unfortunately for many of them, in 2016 the voters woke up and did a thorough house-cleaning. We'll see what it yields but at least at the moment there is hope of a change for the better. Fall for the popular election baloney, however, and all is lost. The Founders knew what they were doing. 

www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/crime-rates-by-county/

The Big Bad Wolf

The Russian aircraft carrier Kuznetzov is a fearsome looking weapon. Ineffective, but fearsome looking. Once it paraded past Britain on its way to the Med and set up station off Lebanon, it then quickly offloaded its jets to a land base in Syria after several operational accidents. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again and they have. Same result. Spash one Su-33 that recently attempted a landing and proceeded to roll off the deck into the drink. Tell you what Mr. P - we'll put up the Teddy Roosevelt against your Kuznetzov and see which comes out on top. No? Spoil sport. 

www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2016/12/05/second-russian-jet-crashes-failed-carrier-landing-near-syria/

God Has the Last Laugh

Castro's jeep and trailer bearing his casket broke down on the way to his final resting place and had to be pushed by his honor guard. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/12/04/castro-ashes-breaks-down-viva-la-revolucion/

Never Forget

This is what happen when we forget and don't pay attention. Never forget.

Real World

Check out the video directed to Hampshire College kids who convinced their Brave New World college administrators to remove the American flag from campus because it offended them, or made them nervous, or mess their pants or something. It's time to grow up. 

www.facebook.com/KyleReyesCEO/