Whatever

For John, BLUF:  I've got nothing.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Regards  —  Cliff

License Plates

For John, BLUF:  Provocative, but not actionable.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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A couple of days ago I again stumbled on this pickup truck in the local area.  This time I stopped and asked the driver if he was from Georgia.  Turns out no.

I would say the key person in this equation is Dingy Harry.  If the Senate Minority Leader can't bring along his caucus there will be no conviction.

Just saying.

Regards  —  Cliff

Government Free to Do As It Pleases

For John, BLUF:  When they don't bother to tell you, you are really out of luck.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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This article is by Mr Tim Cushing, from Tech Dirt—"Who Pays When The DEA Destroys Your Vehicle And Kills Your Employee During A Botched Sting? Hint: Not The DEA".

It is all on Mr Craig Patty, and Driver Lawrence Chapa's widow, if he has one.

The DEA likes to borrow stuff.  It's just not very good about returning borrowed items in the same shape it got them.

Like a woman's Facebook account.

Or a businessman's semi truck.

And his employee's life.

Craig Patty runs a tiny trucking company in Texas.  He has only two trucks in his "fleet."  One of them was being taken to Houston for repairs by his employee, Lawrence Chapa.  Or so he thought.

In reality, Chapa was working with the DEA, which had paid him to load up Patty's truck with marijuana and haul it back to Houston so the DEA could bust the prospective buyers.  That's when everything went completely, horribly wrong.

And I like this line (from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division).

To borrow a phrase from qualified immunity law, Patty has not shown that the “clearly established law” in place when the undercover operation was planned and implemented made the officers’ conduct unconstitutional..

And people want us to nationalize the police force?

What about tar and feathers?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Genius and Insanity

For John, BLUF:  Oscar was an inspiration to me, well, except for the drug use.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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On Facebook, in a discussion with Jack Mitchell, I mentioned Christopher Isherwood and his journey from England to Germany to Hollywood.  I remember watching him on a local LA TV Talk show in the late 1950s.  He was a guest on and sometimes substitute host on the Oscar Levant show.  So, when I saw this quote on the Althouse blog it brought back memories.

"There's a fine line between genius and insanity.  I have erased this line."

Msaybe you remember Oscar from the 1951 movie, An American in Paris.  He was with fellow Pittsburgh born artist, Gene Kelly.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

Carson Announces

For John, BLUF:  I like him.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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So Dr Ben Carson admitted last night that he would announce today he is running for the Republican nomination for President.  No big deal.

What is interesting to me is that on Facebook just now I saw where a Caucasian woman, an American Citizen, living in Europe (her husband has a job there at this time), said "Yup - got my vote".

Not that this person is a member of one of the "Tea Parties", but I have always been amazed at the expressed ignorance about the Tea Parties being hot beds of racial prejudice.  Dr Carson is popular with members of the Tea Parties.  Just saying.

Regards  —  Cliff

Women Ranger Up

For John, BLUF:  Ranger course is not for everyone.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From The Christian Science Monitor we have a thoughtful article on the first women to undertake US Army Ranger Training, a grueling 62 day course that is a touchstone for what makes an infantryman.  The Reporter is Ms Anna Mulrine, of U.S. News & World ReportThe Christian Science Monitor, who is a Pentagon reporter.  The Headline is "Breaking military's ultimate glass ceiling?  Women start Ranger training." The issue of women in combat has been swirling around the military and there are strong opinions on many sides.  To understand how tough this training is, and how it both men and women are challenged in every class, of the 381 men who joined this class, 197 were dropped in the first week.  That is a 52% wash back rate.  From the article:

Holding the line on standards at the storied school has been the mantra here.  The school is one of the toughest in the US military.  Only 20 percent of men who attempt it make it through the first time, and the ones who keep at it often require two or three tries.

Overall graduation rates, including those who are recycled, hovers around 50%.

In reading the story and considering this story and the long term implications of women in combat, we should consider that women are a diverse group.  And society doesn't seem to have a consistent view of what we want of women when it comes to war.  For example, do we want women to be eligible for the draft?  Should they be registering now, as men do at age 18?

I wish the women on the Ranger Course the very best of luck in earning their ranger tabs.

UPDATE:  Ms Anna Mulrine has moved on from U.S. News & World Report to The Christian Science Monitor.

Regards  —  Cliff

Robin Olds Talks Leadership

For John, BLUF:  And leadership and management are different.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Via Doctrine Man we have a link to a John Q Public blog post regarding a hand-written letter from then retired Air Force Brigadier General Robin Olds to then Air Force Major Terryl Schwalier.♠  The letter is about leadership and I think it is pretty good.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Yes, Terryl, nickname Terry.