Open Thread

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Semper Fi, Paris Style – Updated

In the midst of too much bad news, I felt compelled to share the story of the two unarmed U.S. Marines who foiled an attack by a heavily armed person earlier today onboard a high-speed train en route to Paris from Amsterdam. Details are still coming out, but photos of the two Marines are appearing on Twitter, and the BBC now has some details. This has not yet been labeled an act of terrorism, but the suspect is a twenty-something year-old man from Morocco, so it certainly seems to be a real possibility.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve referred to the Marines as “…particularly courageous, and showed great bravery in difficult circumstances.” It seems clear from early reporting that the Marines averted a potential disaster by stopping the heavily-armed gunman quickly.

Count on the U.S. Marines to fail to get the message that Europe just wants to lay down and die in the face of violence and terrorism.

This is a great story that reminds me once again that who we are as a country is not defined by our government or our politicians, but by the everyday people who live with purpose and act when needed.

Oorah, Marines.

Update:

Early reports by most major media outlets of the Americans as Marines have turned out to be in error, although two of the three Americans traveling together were in the armed forces – Air Force and National Guard.  This helps to explain a fact I could not understand based on the early reports – the gunman is still alive. The Americans were aided by a British man living in France who was in the same train car.

Categories: Our Heroes, Our Military  |  Tags: So Sayeth SecondMouse  |  23 Comments »

*Blowing Off The Cobwebs*

Wow..it’s entirely too quiet around these parts of late. My lousy excuse is that my current life has me working 90+ hours weekly. Not that it’s a bad thing, but sleep is at an all time premium for me. I’m on the mid-watch as I’m writing this, and this is my “full-time” job day off as well. The details would be boring to y’all of the whys and wherefores, but in general life is pretty good right now. I don’t have what I really want, but I have what I need to be as comfortable as possible in my current chapter of life.

This is going to be a tough one, very as it’s a very touchy subject and I want to make it very, very clear up-front, that in no way would I ever disparage our heroic male and female veterans that have genuinely given a full measure of devotion to serving this nation. But there’s an epidemic of fraud, rampant among many of our veterans of OIF and OEF.

I’m speaking from first-hand knowledge based on careful observations as well as conversations with professional health-care providers.

The game is to play the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) card solely to get a VA “percentage”. The percentage being disability payments for life, with the gold prize of achieving 100%. Others play the game to get a VA pension for the same ka-ching for life. There are some variations of how they are getting it. It appears to me that while on active duty these folks have received information on exactly how to “act” out the symptoms of true PTSD. Additionally among our female veterans, there are many claims of sexual assault that the professional folks involved in their care are able to prove false, yet it’s very un-PC to even consider denying what are obvious fabrications. They all get to hit the taxpayer bank regardless.

It’s a sad thing to hear 20-something vets foolishly thinking that when they get “their percentage” that they’ll be set for a work-free life. We’re paying for the “entitlement” generation here. They all believe they’re owed something more following their service, so they see no wrong in making false claims and navigating through the system to get that money for nothing and check (for life) free. Again, I want to make it clear that there are indeed many vets that suffer from this terrible disorder and have actually been sexually assaulted, but as the old saying goes it seems the government has given up on “separating the wheat from the chaff”.

Any guesses as to where these young people stand politically?

Damn right, behold the Obama generation coming back from war. They’re going to vote for the rest of their lives for whoever promises them the most of other people’s money. Listening to their discussions among themselves is nothing short of disgusting. They compare notes on how to squeeze every nickel out of the system. My biggest pet peeve is the “bad back” crowd. Most of them manage to con the VA into buying them the power chairs that cost damn near as much as a good used car. The bad backs disappear when there’s a freebie or two being given out, or it’s time to grill some steaks up for dinner. It’s simply amazing how those “disabilities” come and go, eh?

This will be millions of dollars of other people’s money being pissed away and it’s not politically correct to even mention the blatant fraud in front of you.

That wouldn’t be patriotic now would it?

F.E.T.E.

-Carry On

JB sends from the den of thieves…..

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And NO, I do NOT know

Thanks for the seven emails I’ve gotten concerning the comments being automatically closed after a week.  I didn’t do it, and I haven’t had that kind of capability for about three years now.  All inquiries should be directed towards Misha.

I do know that he really needs to upgrade the software here because he is in serious danger of someone literally taking hold of this site and having their way with it.  Frankly, I am surprised that it hasn’t happened yet.   I’ve seen this happen on some other sites I’ve worked on, and it isn’t easy to clean up after THAT kind of an attack…

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Open Thread…

… since there isn’t anyone here to post something more substantial. So, scraping the bottom of the barrel again, you have to put up with me until someone else comes along…

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It’s The End Of The World As We Know It.

Hell in a hand basket.

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Be afraid….not for the faint of heart

I was looking for something to brighten my evening when I came across..this. That sudden spasm you will get in your calves? Is the cramp you get when you instinctively slam your foot on an imaginary brake They are amongst us….

Categories: Caption THIS, Epic FAIL, Epically Epic, Fucking OUCH!, Funny Shit  |  Tags:  |  4 Comments »

On Gratitude

I’m in a bit of a pensive mood tonight and finding myself the mid-shift Duty Officer, it seems as if I have the chance to get something up for us all to consider. Life indeed hands us some unexpected and downright unpleasantness. Be not troubled because He who is really in control has a plan

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Happy Belated 4th

“How can it be happy?”, you might ask, pointing rightly to the seemingly endless line of grievances, insults, defeats and crimes our beloved Republic has suffered at the hands of our enemies. To which I answer: “For the same reason any birthday is a happy occasion, no matter what the temporary circumstances might be at

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Well That’s A Relief

I was really concerned that 6th grade girls wouldn’t be able to afford birth control. IUDs are now additions to the 6th Grade Curriculum in 13 Seattle area schools. The state sets aside medicaid funds for the Take Charge program offers free birth control for a year. Interestingly enough the Take Charge web page URL

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