Heroes

[GoCubsGo]

Recognition to all the veterans who served and did the best they could with what they were assigned, and recognition also to those who refused and drew attention to the unpopularity of unnecessary war.

I am officially a "veteran" and decided Veterans' Day would be a good time to re-enact some of the most significant time I spent in service to the country. So I went to the beach.

Did you drink beer patriotaclly?

[O Really]

I don't drink anything that comes in a red white and blue can, but I'm having a hero sandwich.

[O Really]

So proudly we served.
Watch to the end. It's sad.
https://vimeo.com/82481348

[Vrede too]

So proudly we served.
Watch to the end. It's sad.
https://vimeo.com/82481348

That looked difficult and demanding. The "heroes" MAY yet return.

[GoCubsGo]

So proudly we served.
Watch to the end. It's sad.
https://vimeo.com/82481348

Tough duty.

Hope you're getting treatment for your PTSD.

[O Really]

Yeah, that was some nice time. I wasn't there yet when that vid was taken, but that's really the way it was. There were only about 150ish guys working there, and lots of wives, girl friends and kids. The site was directly on the beach, and sitting on the beach you could see the snow-capped 8,000 ft Mt. Ida (yes the "mountain in Crete" from all the crossword puzzles) On-site there were clubs with live entertainment and casino-type equipment, cinema, bowling alley (actually duck pins, which was fun), library, dining staffed by Greek cooks. We worked rotating 8-hour shifts - 4 days working evenings, day off, 4 days working nights, day off, 4 days working days and 4 days off. But actually, in some jobs one guy could work two desks so a lot of time we worked only every other shift.

I had the top half of a duplex in Iraklion, about 2km from the ancient palace of Knossos. Rent was $45/month. On off days I'd meet tourists at the harbour, tell them I spoke good English and would take them anywhere they wanted to see on the island for $25/day. And most of the time what they wanted to see was places I like to go to anyway. Within walking or short bus ride there were bakeries, butcher shops, produce stands, plus street food like souvlaki stands. Olive oil right out of the press, wine from local wineries. During the couple of years I was there, I got to tour most of Europe with a Europass, made friends with one of the ship captains and could buy a deck class ticket and get upgraded to a suite to Athens. Was on a flight to Athens that got hijacked to Cairo. Sat in an outdoor taverna on a clear night with a crowd of mostly Greeks listening to the moon landing, and not everybody believed it was actually happening. Had an earthquake while I was in Athens for a few days and got home to find the quake had unplugged my fridge and left a horrible stinking mess of rotten chicken. Clean-up was miserable.

And occasionally, did a little work of consequence to get a couple of NSA commendations.

Salute to those in the real military who were less fortunate.

[Vrede too]

REMF

[O Really]

REMF

Yep - didn't know the term and had to look it up, but it fits comfortably.
Security people didn't get sent anywhere very dangerous - and if anything had come up, we'd probably get evacuated just ahead of the women and children. There was one unit that flew some large antenna-lined plane out of Da Nang. I don't think they lost any. Other sites were in Italy, Germany, England, Hawaii, and Alaska. The only site that sounded bad was Peshawar Pakistan, but guys who went there actually seemed to like it. Probably not so much now.

[Vrede too]

REMF

Yep - didn't know the term and had to look it up, but it fits comfortably.
Security people didn't get sent anywhere very dangerous - and if anything had come up, we'd probably get evacuated just ahead of the women and children. There was one unit that flew some large antenna-lined plane out of Da Nang. I don't think they lost any. Other sites were in Italy, Germany, England, Hawaii, and Alaska. The only site that sounded bad was Peshawar Pakistan, but guys who went there actually seemed to like it. Probably not so much now.

I learned it from Vietnam vets.


Commie grooming:
https://www.tiktok.com/@prillaprints/vi ... 3355122990
Article

I approve.

[Vrede too]

Thousands gather for Navalny’s funeral in Moscow despite threat of arrest

... Mourners clapped and chanted Navalny’s name as his coffin arrived at the church where his funeral took place. Others shouted “Putin is a killer” or “no to war.”

... He was later buried at Borisov Cemetery, where Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” played as his coffin was lowered into the ground....


Thousands of mourners gather in Moscow to bid farewell to Navalny, March 1, 2024.

... Those waiting in line ahead of the service told CNN they had gathered to pay their respects to their “hero.” Marina said she had traveled from St. Petersburg because she “loved” Navalny.

“He was a true hero … I want to say to him ‘farewell,’” she said, adding that she was not surprised that the Kremlin had denied any involvement in Navalny’s death. “They demonstrate to the whole world we do what we want to do,” she said. “We can repress you.”

... At least 45 people were arrested across Russia on Friday for paying their respects to Navalny, monitoring group OVD Info reported. It said six people were detained in Moscow, while 18 were detained in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk – the largest number of any city. Another 10 were detained in Yekaterinburg for laying flowers.

... More than 400 people were detained at makeshift memorials for Navalny across 32 Russian cities, according to OVD-Info....

Heroes. Thousands of heroes.

[Vrede too]

Federal judge warns of Trump’s attacks in extraordinary rebuke

A sitting federal judge on Thursday harshly criticized Donald Trump’s attacks on the judge overseeing the former president’s criminal case tied to alleged hush money payments, telling CNN that such statements threaten the viability of the American legal system.

US District Judge Reggie Walton spoke with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” in the wake of Trump’s attacks on Judge Juan Merchan, which helped prompt the New York judge to issue a gag order on the former president earlier this week. It is unusual for federal judges to speak publicly, especially about specific political or legal situations.

“It’s very disconcerting to have someone making comments about a judge, and it’s particularly problematic when those comments are in the form of a threat, especially if they’re directed at one’s family,” said Walton, who has also faced threats, as has his daughter. “We do these jobs because we’re committed to the rule of law and we believe in the rule of law, and the rule of law can only function effectively when we have judges who are prepared to carry out their duties without the threat of potential physical harm.”

US District Judge Reggie Walton was appointed by Shrub and is not one of TRE45QN's trial judges.

... “I think it’s important that, as judges, we speak out and say things in reference to things that conceivably are going to impact on the process, because if we don’t have a viable court system that’s able to function efficiently, then we have tyranny. And I don’t think that would be good for the future of our country, and the future of democracy in our country,” he continued....

Hero.