Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Hannibal]

The lack of media coverage being given to the Palestine disaster is very puzzling. It makes me suspect that giving it a lot of attention will expose something that is embarrassing to Democrats, although historically, the downside of the corporate "risk vs. profits" issue has been a Republican one.

I have no doubt though that f the media could connect it in any way to Trump, they would have had Greta Thunberg in front of the cameras there the morning after.

[Hannibal]

The only thing Mayor Pete is guilty of in the train derailment is that he didn't mention anything about it for like 12 days but commented on solving gun violence within hours of the MSU shooting. Know your role, dude.

Fortunately, when it comes to heavy lifting like revamping the NOTAM system to more efficiently disseminate accurate information that pilots rely upon, Petey was all over it. Instead of Notice to Airmen, it is now Notice to Air MISSIONS.

https://generalaviationnews.com/2021/12/07/notams-are-now-notices-to-air-mission/

Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) have a new name: Notices to Air Mission.

Effective Dec. 2, 2021, the new name is a “more applicable term” that is “inclusive of all aviators and missions.”

The name change has already been made to many FAA documents, according to agency officials.

The name change is one of many we will see as the FAA reviews its language and strives to make it more inclusive. The agency recently held on online Inclusive Language Summit that addresses some of these changes.

Sometimes I feel like we're not sending our best.

Using proper pronouns is a bigger priority for our Transporation Secretary than addressing all of the issues with our aging and crumbling infrastructure.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The released portion of the Fulton Grand Jury report contains almost nothing. All that's in there is a recommendation to pursue perjury charges against one or more witnesses (unknown who) and a statement that the grand jury unanimously agrees that there was no widespread fraud in the Georgia 2020 election. If the jury recommended other indictments against anyone remains a secret for now.

READ: Fulton County grand jury releases report on Trump and the 2020 election | CNN Politics

[Mike]

Riveting.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Fredo is suing CNN for wrongful dismissal. Good timing to tell Anthony "Da Mooch" Scaramucci that you were considering going on a killing rampage at the office.

I was 'going to kill everybody and myself’: Chris Cuomo (nypost.com)

[Tom W]

No. But the Buttplug has not been a leader since the accident. But apparently if you are a buttplug you are immune from scrutiny in your job...you know...yer just whining cuz he's a buttplug ya know.

To be fair, "Transportation" is another one of those Departments that is essentially useless and extraneous. You can't really fault Petey for accepting a well-paying "Cabinet" position that doesn't require you to do anything productive.

Sure, there's a joke to be had that he's just a oblivious tool that's put into a place where he can do the least amount of damage while serving as a diversity token. But, Progs will still prog..

[Dr. Strangelove]

Riveting.

If you'd like an idea of how insufferable I'm going to be if a nice batch of indictments gets released soon, please watch the "Chad Henne is a Bitch" video 5 times in a row.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Rumor has it that the Russians are going to start deploying more fighter and tactical ground attack aircraft into Ukraine. I guess this means that this Russian "winter offensive" that was anticipated to either start soon or be underway will try to integrate air power as a combined arms multiplier. This stuff is right down my ally as I still remember quite a bit about Russia's aircraft, weapons systems and readiness.

First off, Russian air support of ground operations was present when the initial invasion started a year ago. The problem for the Russians then was that Ukrainian air defense was way better than their intell predicted it would be, helped, of course by the availability of real time US intell. As tactical aircraft and helo losses mounted, the Russians abandoned close air support of ground forces and switched to using cruise missiles and drone strikes launched far out of range of Ukrainian air defense systems. The targets were infrastructure not in support of operations on the ground. That mission continues so, this announcement may signal a shift back to the use of tactical aircraft and attack helos in ground support roles.

Good luck fellas. The Russian air forces faired poorly against a less than robust Ukrainian air defense system with many aircraft losses resulting from shoulder fired AA missiles - lots of them in the hands of well trained Ukrainian infantry. In the last year, the west has provided a shit-ton of air defense capability. I can't even keep up with all the stuff that's in the field with trained operators. What the Ukrainians do really well is "McGiver" this kind of different stuff into coherent combat systems, in this case an air defense system. That's critical. You want an indepth air defense over the battle area that can see incoming aircraft, track them and then shoot at them when they are in range. You need early warning capability, good command, control and comms to integrate the data and make the system efficient and effective.

The Russians have yet to demonstrate they can integrate all this stuff including the use fighters and suppression of air defense capability to obtain air superiority, even on a temporary basis, to support key ground operations - a prerequisite for the integration of close air support. Maybe something has changed or improved but if the Russians actually send aircraft and attack helos into the teeth of what is now a pretty good Ukrainian air defense system, it won't be pretty for them. OTH, the Russians, again, have a huge numbers advantage in aircraft and drones. They might be able to overwhelm with numbers. But, that hasn't worked for them on the ground. I expect the same result in the air..... but the threat, like most of the shit Putin puts out there, rarely materializes into something tactically or strategically useful. IOW, "aspirational but not realistic."

[Dr. Strangelove]

Just announced that Biden's going to making a statement about Chinese balloons at 2, after some remarks regarding the history of Flight

[THE_WIZARD_]

It would be far more entertaining to have Giggles give us a speech on the history of balloons...

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'll be sure to not tune it. This Chinese balloon sillines is just absurd. That so much is being made of it by the MSM is not at all reflective of the US's air defense posture. Balloons and the intell they collect is insignificant compared to national level collection capabilities - that both the US and the Chinese possess. When a shooting war starts in space or the Chinese send aircraft in North America's ADIZ, that's something to worry about. Balloons? Fuck them.

[Mike]

If you'd like an idea of how insufferable I'm going to be if a nice batch of indictments gets released soon, please watch the "Chad Henne is a Bitch" video 5 times in a row.

Oh, I'll be cheering right along with you. It's just that after, oh... 30 dry wells or so, my interest has waned.

In other legal news, the feds made it official yesterday that they will not pursue charges against Matt Gaetz for banging that 17 year-old and flying her back and forth to the Bahamas. Sounds like the rationale was "Welp, everyone involved is a dirtbag so how can we really believe anyone?"

[Mike]

I'll be sure to not tune it. This Chinese balloon sillines is just absurd. That so much is being made of it by the MSM is not at all reflective of the US's air defense posture. Balloons and the intell they collect is insignificant compared to national level collection capabilities - that both the US and the Chinese possess. When a shooting war starts in space or the Chinese send aircraft in North America's ADIZ, that's something to worry about. Balloons? Fuck them.

I'm guessing China has access to Google Earth.

Now letting them buy farmland in proximity to military installations is fucked up and needs to stop.

[Mike]

It would be far more entertaining to have Giggles give us a speech on the history of balloons...

I'm sure he'll spin some yarns about how he was at Kitty Hawk during spring break from college to witness the Wright Brothers' flight. He probably even rolled up his sleaves, grabbed his lucky wrench that he always keeps with him, and made some final adjustments before they took off.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Boycotting play in states that bar transgender athletes on table for World Cup–winning U.S. women’s soccer team


Forward Alex Morgan says the U.S. national team should have internal discussions about playing games in states that restrict transgender kids from participating in sports.

The team is currently preparing for the SheBelieves Cup, a round-robin tournament with Canada, Brazil and Japan that kicks off in a few days’ time. Matches are scheduled in Florida and Texas, two states that have enacted laws aimed at transgender athletes.

“Looking at these games in Florida and Texas respectively, we’re going to need to continue to step it up, and have internal discussions as well with the team, because we’re not ones to shy away from hard conversation or taking a stand for what’s right,” Morgan said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters.

The U.S. women have previously criticized efforts to limit transgender kids from playing organized sports. Last year during a game in Texas, several players wore wristbands that said “Protect Trans Kids.”

The team has often used its platform to call attention to social justice, most notably the successful fight for equal pay with the men’s team. More recently, players have been vocal about reproductive rights.

Defender Becky Sauerbrunn wrote an op-ed last week for the Springfield News-Leader in her home state of Missouri defending the rights of transgender athletes. State lawmakers there are considering legislation to restrict transgender girls from taking part in girls sports.

‘I can’t stay quiet as transgender youth in my home state are targeted simply because they love sports as much as I do. I want every young person to have the same opportunities I’ve had to live their best life, exactly as they are.’
— Becky Sauerbrunn, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
“Playing in Florida and Texas, that’s something that the team definitely needs to look at,” Morgan said, “I think just even talking about it is good.”

“The inclusion of trans kids in sports is the inclusion of kids in sports. Everyone should have the ability to play sport. And the fact that it’s being taken into politics so big is really sad. And I think it’s at the cost of trans kids’ lives,” Morgan said. “It’s really sad, and I feel like what Becky said was great. And for this team, we’ve always been very vocal with where we stand and I think we’ll continue to do that.”

Sauerbrunn wrote that if lawmakers truly cared about women’s sports, they would be looking at sexual abuse and harassment of players in the game, as well as equal opportunities and resources for women and girls in sport, particularly in marginalized communities.

“The Missouri I know, love and grew up in is where I was taught to care for my neighbors, and where I learned that the best part of sports is belonging to a team and working together toward a common goal,” Sauerbrunn wrote. “I can’t stay quiet as transgender youth in my home state are targeted simply because they love sports as much as I do. I want every young person to have the same opportunities I’ve had to live their best life, exactly as they are.” Try the NEW MarketWatch Retirement Planner

Morgan was also asked about the possible sponsorship deal between FIFA and Saudi Arabia’s tourism authority for the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer.

Both the Australian and New Zealand soccer federations have decried the move because of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, especially when it comes to women and LGBTQ individuals. Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia are restricted under strict male guardianship laws and homosexuality is illegal. Emily Fox is in the foreground as the U.S. players warm up for a match in
“I think it’s bizarre that FIFA has looked to have a `Visit Saudi’ sponsorship for the Women’s World Cup when I, myself, Alex Morgan, would not even be supported and accepted in that country, so I just don’t understand it,” she said. “I think that what Saudi Arabia can do is put efforts into their women’s team that was just formed only a couple of years ago and doesn’t even have a current ranking within the FIFA ranking system because of the few games that they’ve played.

“So that would be my advice to them. And I really hope that FIFA does the right thing.”

FIFA has not commented on the possible sponsorship deal.