“While many of the services have said they are continuing to prioritize and fund fixing and building new barracks, Military.com reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon will shift $1 billion meant for Army barracks maintenance and renovation to its southern border mission.”
“Mold painted over, wires dangling and black rusted pipes framing the ceiling were part of everyday reality for Marines, sailors and airmen living in barracks on Guam. The conditions left the Navy’s top admiral in charge of barracks across the service baffled.”
Not here to say that military benefits are inadequate. Just stick with whatever was offered when people signed up to stay on for multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and we’re good.
The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars, maintaining the barracks or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
I grew up in the greater Seattle area back in the 70s. Gun ownership was a common thing. The WWII Generation had set up a modern society. Moms and Dads were in charge. Seattle was a considered to be a safe place for teens to go on dates.
Preparing to honor the fallen and later celebrate our nation’s freedoms this weekend.
Went in yesterday to purchase beer. Our local, small town grocery store has a new policy: All must show ID to buy beer. If Mom & Pops go through the line with beer, both must show ID. This happened last time I went shopping there with my wife.
I was born in 1960. Yesterday, I was asked for ID. I had forgotten about the new policy, but quickly remembered.
I mentioned to the cashier in a cheerful way that I have been legal to buy beer for about 45 years now.
Both major parties are OK with federal prohibition of alcohol and tobacco for adults age 18-20.
Wife and I went out to a local grocery store to pick up veggies and beer.
Wife is up front with credit card to pay while I unload cart behind her. Cashier (friendly and professional) needs to see both of our IDs to make beer purchase.
Both of us were born in the 1960s. Wife told me/pointed out that the store had put up a bold type sign in advance notifying of this new policy.
Over the past few years:
Some places simply want you to state your DOB. Some want to see ID and some want to scan ID.
This was the first time both adults had to show ID for one adult to pay for beer.
Not here to say that military benefits are inadequate. Just stick with whatever was offered when people signed up to stay on for multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and we’re good.
Random Stuff
What has changed for the US Armed Forces since the 1980s?
During the 80s there was a period of Cold War era peacetime stability. This has been replaced with undeclared/unwon wars that seem to come along more frequently now.
I went into the Marines in 1979. No war. No controversy. No thanks for your service (a good thing).
In the 60s & 70s I never attended a Veterans Day assembly at school.
There were none.
Probably enough veterans around to remove most of the mystique, or maybe those veterans thought it was all just an average thing and did not want to be seen as a separate part of American society, or get head of the line parking spots over at the grocery store. Maybe the concept of Armistice Day had not gone completely extinct.
Growing up in the 60s & 70s- veterans were all around- church, school, Boy Scout leaders, family, the neighborhood, etc. It was all just an average thing. These folks weren’t seen as a separate part of American society.
People weren’t stepping over to say “Thanks for your service” to my Dad- who did time in the Navy in the 50s- but looked just like anyone else out in public.
These guys weren’t lining up for free dinner promotions marketed by major restaurant chains.
2025
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. Understandable why young people & their parents & grandparents would take a dim view on all this.
If you did your homework back in May of 2024, you remember:
“We are committed to keeping all of our military families informed about your health plan, your choices, and ensuring a seamless transition to new contractors,” said Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, director of the DHA.
My memory is that the National Guard was more about one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer plus a way to support your home state by being ready to get called out for floods, fires, natural disasters, civil unrest, etc. Maybe a way to help the next state over if they needed it.
Thousands of men and women who signed up for the National Guard in the past 25 years did tours in places like Syria, Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.
Please help us now by encouraging your own kids, grandkids and a younger generation to go see a recruiter and sign up because right now we are dealing with an ongoing recruiting crisis.
“A routine search by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at the county jail led to the discovery of fentanyl in the medical housing unit on Tuesday, the agency said.”
Routine search discovers fentanyl that maybe should have been kept out of the US by a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security.
Routine search discovers fentanyl that was able to move past jail security screening protocols and procedures prior to becoming the subject of a Sheriff’s Office commendation of the efforts of the corrections staff at the facility.
Well Done
Real newspeople may ask why K9 Harley and others with similar training didn’t prevent fentanyl from entering the facility in the first place. How often do jail security screening protocols fail to keep fentanyl from entering the facility?
Press Release Style of News Reporting
For the story above, KOMO goes with the press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Newspeople post this statement as is. A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
Really like the jalapeño cheese bagels at Safeway.
Normally pluck out one or two and they go into a plain paper bag similar to what we carried for school lunches back in the 70s.
Yesterday, these plastic bags were stocked in place of the regular paper ones. I am confused now about what version of bags are meant to be used or avoided based on saving the planet. In the 70s we were taught not to be a litterbug. Recycling was a thing.
The plastic bagel bag was a dandy for cleaning out the cat litter box today. We promise not to throw it all out the window as we blast down the highway, or leave it at the beach next time we go out.
Give the planet a break and reach for these super lightweight, environmentally-friendly produce bags. Use caution when loading sweet potatoes, ears of corn, bananas, etc. Using two, three or four of the lightweight bags creates enough strength to recreate the use of the old bags that were not OK for the global environment.
Also, be sure to allow plenty of time and patience to pick away at the proper end of the bag in order to try and get it open. Using several bags for a few sweet potatoes requires the attempt at opening the bag steps to be repeated multiple times for the same size produce purchase.
Took a look on the web to see if others were sharing on this topic. No such luck. Independent thinking and blog posts appear to have been scrubbed away. The web is now about trying to sell you stuff.
Possibly of interest:
A local Mom and Pop’s restaurant is still using the banned and evil plastic bags that are best suited for their customers to carry home hot menu selections.
Above: Seen at the grocery store checkout yesterday.
Below: 7/30/25
Below: 3/20/25
Current culture may not be very satisfying. Maybe it isn’t great for selling magazines. Turn away from the present and slip away into another time with these selections.
I have wondered if movies over the past 15 years or so have relied more on special effects, fantasy based themes, comic book characters from the past, medieval characters with special powers, lighting bolts delivered from giant swords, etc. All this because American culture these days may not be too interesting.
Possibly of interest:
When I was a kid, reality TV was The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.
The Night of the Squid:
Also, about this time in history: The first man on the Moon.
I was a teenager in the 1970s. I went to public high school in the greater Seattle area. As a teen, going to Seattle was considered completely appropriate for a date. We would walk on the ferry. This would deliver us to the downtown waterfront area-not too far from First Ave. This was not some sort of high-end exclusive neighborhood. It was just Seattle and it was good. We could go during the day and walk to anywhere from Pike Place Market to what used to be called Chinatown and the Seattle waterfront, Ivar’s, etc. We could catch the monorail and head out to Seattle Center. When I was younger, I was in Boy Scouts and would go alone during the day to check out some of the army surplus stores on First Ave. to look for camping gear. This was the era of bicycle paper routes, also not considered to be unsafe or controversial. I had a Seattle Times and Bremerton Sun route for a total of 2 years. Not some sort of special accomplishment, just routine stuff at the time.
Beyond daytime visits-teens during that era went to concerts, movies, Sonics games and out to eat.
Sign we found today to announcing the gift of parking without a pass:
The era of daytime parking fees at WA State Parks began more than two decades ago:
I have purchased a daytime parking pass for WA State Parks every year since the pass was first required. How much for a lifetime pass?
I don’t purchase the pass because I believe in it. Taxes are meant to pay for parks. I purchase the pass to avoid being hassled.
Wondering if something like 89 cents of each dollar collected for daytime parking fees goes directly towards funding of the manufacturing, installation and maintenance of enforcement related warning signs, kiosks, pay boxes, fluorescent placards, and the manufacturing and distribution of enforcement related literature, blank forms and documentation materials.
Park shown above: Rosario Beach
Daytime parking pass fees are also used to fund the manufacturing, installation and maintenance of sturdy gates to keep you and your annual parking pass out of selected parks during winter months.
Park shown below (Rosario Beach) is located at sea level.
“…officers could still pull people over for criminal offenses, such as not wearing a seat belt, not having license plates, being on the phone, or displaying tabs that expired over a year ago.”
I am from the last century. Driving came with incentives.
Drive safely in a well maintained vehicle. Maintain insurance and registration. Park legally.
Avoid: accidents, getting pulled over, being ticketed and facing fines.
If people are pulled over and they turn out to be wanted by the law, so be it. Our modern society has been breaking down for years now due to some sort of experimental way of doing things. The experiment has allowed RVs to take over parking spaces and drug addicts to camp on the sidewalk.
In Seattle:
The whole thing is run by college educated people who take huge amounts of tax money to work on crime, gun violence and homeless RVs camping on the streets.
We live in an area that is gray and wet for days on end. Please consider driving with headlights on. Gray/Silver/Slate colored vehicles seem to be popular and they can be hard to see in common winter weather conditions. Much easier to see vehicles behind you when they have lights on.
A genuine seaport town – sending the message that the ways of the last century are best when managing public safety and a modern society. Don’t bring your Whidbey crap here.
“…something that used to work but doesn’t work anymore, for some odd reason we can’t identify.”
Random Thoughts From Oak Bay Starfish
Old Gas Cans
People used to work in US factories making various models of metal gas cans:
These sort of lasted forever. They were easy to use. I have a plastic version from the early 90s that works well. It has a simple air vent. Just right.
Quality replacement parts were sold for years. This kit appears to no longer be available.
Related:
Our laundry room fan stopped working. We went to a big box store to see if they had a replacement part/unit. We only needed the fan motor-nothing else.
In the old days, things would be fixed or repaired. Today, the idea is to throw it away and start over as if the unit had never been installed to begin with.
It’s a stressful world. Leave your troubles behind and enjoy some TV from the 1970s.
This was the era of writing, acting, stories, characters, guest stars, costumes and wardrobes, stunt scenes, giant cars, and background music provided by symphony orchestras.
Lately, we have enjoyed:
When I was a kid, reality TV was The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.
For years, I have wondered why elected officials and high level DOD civilians speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization. Both major parties are in on it. In the US, we probably brag about freedom more than anywhere else on the planet.
Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?
Certainly, Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
It’s a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
Another of many examples where American freedoms may come & go-completely unrelated to military operations/US Troops in distant lands, or the Sound of Freedom over Coupeville:
Several news sources published this quote. View them here.
The idea that sending hometown troops to Africa would be linked in any way with keeping the people of Salisbury Maryland safe and free calls for more discussion.
Mayor Day,
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Can elected officials of any party or any member of the press help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
If a right to vote has always been protected by the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, how come women were not allowed full voting rights at the end of WWI?
Why the need for a 1965 Voting Rights Act if overseas military operations somehow secured voting rights?
If a right to vote is protected by the US Armed Forces, what becomes of that right when the US leaves Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc., without a victory?
Uncle Sam is having a hell of a time finding people to sign up for the US Armed Forces. Pretending that decades of undeclared/unwon wars are linked in any way with American freedoms is the kind of dishonesty that will snuff out the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.
Good luck with your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.
Freedoms come and go. None of the above are linked in any way with The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Troops, The Dept. of Defense or the outcome of military operations overseas.
Why do we speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization?
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
Love to see newspeople interview elected officials and let us know how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
“The Marine Corps quietly directed its recruit depots to integrate male and female drill instructor teams at the platoon level in late 2023, and now the service is full steam ahead with the effort, according to several Marine officials who spoke to Military.com last week.”
“In December 2023, the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, a Pentagon entity, recommended that the Marine Corps integrate its platoon-level drill instructors. The committee said that it “believes mixed-gender drill instructor teams are essential to providing recruits training and mentorship from opposite-gender role models as they prepare to enter an integrated operational environment,” according to the report.”
Will male drill instructors do the same at women’s boot camp?
My understanding is that physical fitness and grooming standards are different for male and female Marines.
Women drill instructors will lead and demonstrate male PT standards at boot camp?
The old, colorful/crude/humorous cadence, that would make you smile while gutting out a run will be demonstrated to males by female drill instructors at boot camp?
“Female drill instructors get shorter breaks to make sure every female recruit cycle gets staffed. And when drill instructors need to drop due to injury or pregnancy, the pressure on remaining staff becomes even more brutal.”
“Most of our female drill instructors lose custody of their children,” an enlisted female Marine Corps training cadre member from Parris Island, South Carolina, told researchers. “Their marriages fall apart, [and] their bodies end up in casts.”
“Female drill instructors at all-male companies likely would be unable to take turns supervising recruits in the squad bays overnight, for example, Montgomery said.”
I am from the last century. I was attracted to the USMC because it was a tradition-oriented organization. Going to boot camp and having foul language yelled at you was a plus. Colorful language was a plus.
Years later, you would smile with Marine buddies while taking turns using the best phrases you had heard along the way.
Somewhere in the Grays Harbor area. Photo is unaltered except for removal of registration number.
Welcome Home Troops
Not here to say that military benefits are inadequate.
Elected officials: Stop with your salute the troops nonsense on Armistice Day if you are not willing to take action to fix the process described below.
Tortuous web protocols at TRICARE contribute to the number of people who want to call and speak to a human at the understaffed call center.
If you did your homework back in May of 2024, you remember:
“We are committed to keeping all of our military families informed about your health plan, your choices, and ensuring a seamless transition to new contractors,” said Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, director of the DHA.
“Beneficiaries who contacted Military.com said they had tried to update their payment information with TriWest before receiving the letters but couldn’t access the portal to fix their issues.”
“The error follows a series of challenges facing roughly 4.5 million patients in the 26-state Tricare West Region following a changeover in regional contract managers on Jan. 1.”
“The new deadlines were announced on Wednesday, Jan. 8 by the DHA, which added that if people don’t set up payment before the new deadlines, they’ll be disenrolled from their health plan, retroactive to Jan. 1.”
One retired soldier told Military Times, “Everything I’ve read has said that we have to set up automatic payments by Jan. 30 or we will lose our enrollment.”
“The Defense Health Agency announced Tuesday that beneficiaries who are enrolled in Tricare Prime and Tricare Select, as well as programs that include Tricare Young Adult, Tricare Reserve Select and Tricare Retire Reserve, now have until Feb. 28 to update their payment information.”
“The spouse of a retired Marine Corps officer told Military.com she waited more than three hours on three separate occasions to speak to someone about her information and referrals.”
“She waited on hold, only to not have her questions answered because none of her medical information was available to the call center staff, she added.”
“While polite, the TriWest phone answerers seem completely incompetent,” she said.
Allow people to opt in for a mailed statement if requested.
Make a TRICARE account just as easy to use as my local PUD account.
I have been paying bills for decades. Used to mail in a check, now it is mostly done with online banking.
I always want the option to see a written statement.
No money should change hands/go to TRICARE without a written or emailed invoice.
TRICARE does not send out a bill. TRICARE wants you to set up an automatic payroll allotment. No, thank you.
I have never used a payroll allotment or a credit card subscription to pay recurring bills-still don’t want to. This ongoing clusterfuck with TRICARE is a very good example of why.
My local PUD mails out a statement each month. I could call them if I need to, but I never have a need. The PUD offers multiple payment options. Pick whatever one is best for you.
The PUD does not care about my user name and password. I need none of that to happily use their services for years on end.
TRICARE:
Want to see an updated statement of your payment history?
TRICARE has a customer portal page on the web. Tried to use this in the past. It is a tortuous process. Tricky to set up and update passwords over and again. They will treat you like a hacker, even if you have done nothing wrong. Super complicated.
TRICARE requires you to create a user name and password. Whatever password you like will only be temporary, because it must be changed on schedule and it is required to be complicated.
Did you forget your password? No problem, just provide answers to a few simple questions:
What was the house number across the street from where your best childhood friend grew up?
Way too complicated. Why should this be any more tricky to use than an Amazon account?
As a last resort, you call to speak to a human at the understaffed call center. Broken web protocols at TRICARE drive up the number of people who want to call and speak to a human. You may be passed around to several different call operators.
Stop kissing veteran ass on Armistice Day and every other chance you get. Stop with the “Thanks for your service” nonsense.
People volunteered to go to far away places and maybe never come back again.
Go to work to smooth out the process they face when they need to call and manage whatever benefits they earned.
Older veterans have influence with kids, grandkids and younger members of the community. Do right by them if you ever hope to dig out of your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.
This whole thing should be no more tricky to use than an Amazon account.
Maybe the new administration will get this all cleared up soon, but we’re not there yet.
I am not a social worker or a politician. I do not work for the mainstream media. My questions and attitudes here will not fit the norm.
Americans were told they faced a life and death situation after 911. If certain actions were not taken, terrorists could come to America to disrupt our way of life and attempt another 911.
If all this was a life and death situation that required sending the troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, wouldn’t it be important to ask a few public policy questions about what was going on?
Love to see newspeople get past the press release style of news reporting and go out to ask some questions.
Are newspeople forbidden to ask questions related to Port Angeles (Clallam County) Homeland Security funding and performance?
In the news:
By Paula Hunt Olympic Peninsula News Group July 10, 2024
“We need the Narcan with fentanyl because it is cheap and it’s not carefully manufactured, so what you think is a dose of fentanyl is a lot stronger,” Sims said.
“Transit workers have strenuously objected to the availability of free Narcan at the Gateway Transit Center. Those who spoke Wednesday said it will attract more vandalism, crime and people with substance and mental health disorders to an area that has become more difficult to maintain since the transit system’s no-fare policy went into effect on Jan. 1.”
“While bus drivers and maintenance workers were not unsympathetic to individuals struggling with mental illness and substance abuse, Rick Burton, the union representative for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587, who also is a non-voting member of the board, said Clallam Transit is a transportation agency, not a social service agency.”
Background – Port Angeles CBP
Unlike many cities of its size, Port Angeles maintains a significant Homeland Security/CBP/Border Patrol presence.
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
A new Port Angeles USBP Station opened more than a decade ago. Has the new station been able to prevent cartel drugs from entering the Olympic Peninsula?
Newspeople remain silent.
After a Port Angeles CBP buildup that took place more than a decade ago, is there any follow up made by the press to inform the public on whatever results have been achieved?
If you run a government operation-these are the reporters you want to see on interview day:
Are most Clallam County drug overdoes related to cartel/street drugs?
Are most Clallam County drug overdoes related to legal product produced by the drug companies that have faced opioid lawsuits in recent years?
Were Clallam County drug overdose death numbers higher before the US Dept. of Homeland Security was established (2002) or are the numbers higher with a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security in place? This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US. More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
When is the last time the Port Angeles Border Patrol made an arrest linked in any way to the US/Canada border?
Has massing US Border Patrol agents at the southern edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca played any role in reducing Clallam County drug overdose numbers?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
How do cartels react to opioid lawsuits?
Are passports/enhanced/REAL IDs effective in keeping cartel drugs out of the US?
Standard driver’s licenses have not been accepted at the border since 2009.
Fog Them Down With The Antidote
Fog them down with the antidote.
Forward a press release.
Whatever it takes- never investigate or question Port Angeles Homeland Security funding and performance.
A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
Operation Macho Swagger
When is the last time the Port Angeles Border Patrol made any seizure that kept any amount of fentanyl, heroin or any opioid from entering Clallam County?
Newspeople play the role of federal public affairs personnel during Operation Macho Swagger– a ride-along to let us know what is being done to keep the southern edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca safe from B.C. incursions.
What role do 1,200-horsepower Border Patrol Interceptor boats play in keeping opioids of any kind away from Port Angeles?
These areas had small, local newspapers and those papers featured active, online comment sections. Paying for a newspaper subscription was OK with me. There were basic rules for commenting, but it did not seem to matter what name people went by. I never cared.
Various newspapers in the Puget Sound area have gone with this trend.
Suppressing comments, getting away from asking questions related to public policy and telling us they need more support from subscription and advertising sales.
Let customers support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing.
Find 10 successful people.
Ask them if they ever worked for min. wage.
Ask them why they no longer are on it.
Dining Out
Used to enjoy eating out. This feeling was good for decades and in multiple states. 80s, 90s, all the way up until COVID.
Tipping? No problem.
Really do not go out much anymore.
Why?
Expense, iffy experience, smaller portions, business has a hard time finding staff to show up, this leads to reduced quality of experience, etc.
From comments:
“Minimum wage jobs are for entry level workers into the labor force, not intended to be a family supporting job. You work there for a while, learn to come to work on time, learn how to team up with fellow employees, learn to take orders from supervisors, learn to interact with the public etc. After you have accomplished this, then you can take that experience down the road to another business and get a better paying job. Each job you work should build up your skills so when you are an adult, you can get a decent paying job and support yourself.”
Love this comment.
I would add: Do not plan to live in a high cost area if you want the good life on minimum wage.
As I move about, I am mindful of the workers who set their own minimum wage. Who would that be?
People who work on overhead power lines. People who pump septic tanks, operate heavy equipment, work on tree cutting crews, work for the Puget Sound maritime industry, work at Costco, work as a plumber, work as an electrician, work as a Real Estate agent, drive long-haul trucks, work on oil rigs and work on commercial fishing boats.
Would you encourage them not to get promoted, stay at the lowest possible level and depend on the government to ration out pay raises?
Would you encourage them to remain in a group where superstar performers, average workers, and slackers are all paid the same per government mandate?
Be one of the best, show up on time, hustle, burn the candle at both ends, establish yourself early in life, avoid debt and create some freedom for yourself.
Get yourself promoted at work- just one time- & your pay will no longer be linked to the minimum wage.
On one of our return trips, the ride we caught somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula was headed to Bremerton. We got off there, then walked on the Bremerton ferry to Seattle, then the next ferry ride back home to the 1970s version of Bainbridge where we lived.
The numbers are getting too big now. I am from the last century. I believe it was a simpler time and that many aspects of American culture were better then.
When I was a kid, reality TV was The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau:
These areas had small, local newspapers and those papers featured active, online comment sections. Paying for a newspaper subscription was OK with me. There were basic rules for commenting, but it did not seem to matter what name people went by. I never cared.
Various newspapers in the Puget Sound area have gone with this trend.
I’d be more interested in paying (again) for a local paper subscription if there was more in the way of investigative reporting & newspeople asking questions. Elimination of reader comments works against the idea of paying for an online subscription.
Suppressing comments, getting away from asking questions related to public policy and telling us they need more support from subscription and advertising sales.
Got it.
After local newspapers shut down comments, people could still go to Twitter and take a look at what people were posting for comments. Some papers have since shut down posting of their news articles on what is now called X.
YouTube can be a very good place to view active comment sections, but it may be tricky to find a video that relates to a news story/public policy update you are looking for.
US Armed Forces Recruiting Crisis – Comments Are Turned Off
Here is a hand selected lady who was surprised (1:12) to get a phone call of support from The First Lady- even though cameras were rolling in her home when the phone rang:
“Comments are turned off.”
PBS News Video – Experts Deliver Their Report
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. Understandable why young people & their parents & grandparents would take a dim view on all this.
The Armed Forces recruiting crisis was earned by the politicians, generals, and high ranking civilians who have been running the Pentagon over the past 30 years or so. The crisis is also upon us due to newspeople not asking questions going back to the time the Cold War ended.
Flag officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.
They are going to tell us how all this works.
Oct 30, 2024 PBS News
WATCH: U.S. military leaders hold briefing on recruitment goals and challenges for 2025
“Comments are turned off.”
If comments were open:
Some will say obese teens and young adults are to blame for the big recruiting crisis. Thousands of young, intelligent and athletic Americans participate in college athletics each year. Certainly, they would qualify to enlist- no rehab/prep program required.
Why are these people not showing up at the recruiting office?
US press plays along by not asking questions and shutting down or suppressing comment sections.
Watched the entire video above. Zero questions on how flag officers and high level DOD civilians allowed for this:
We recently took a road trip and we were away for a couple nights. We did a little retail shopping. That opportunity is limited where we live.
We came home and took a few days to fully unpack. Days after the trip, we found this loss prevention tag on a new pair of shoes. A call to the store resulted in their request to bring the item back to have the tag removed. Hundreds of miles of driving was not on our list of things to do. It was recommended that we take the shoes to a store closer to home. Not happening.
Many related YouTube videos are available, so we went to learn more. Seems like this issue is common, but the gadget we have is attached with a cable and the ones we found on the web had a different sort of fitting/locking mechanism.
We saw various references to explosions of ink or loud alarm noises should the unit be tampered with.
We decided to use bolt cutters to cut the cable. It worked super easy. No ink. No Air Raid Siren.
Was the tag scanned out when we paid for it? We heard no alarm when we left the store. I am in my early 60s and am often asked for my DOB to buy beer. No similar prompt to remove loss tag at checkout?
Next time, we will check for tags before rolling out.
AI
Wanted to blur out part of the store receipt above. On Mac Photos, the old way was to retouch by creating a blur. I have enjoyed this feature for things like blurring out a car license plate you don’t want to show. The new AI way seems to want to insert distorted characters in place of what was there.
I like the old blur it out way, not the new insert characters way.
Above: recently seen at the grocery store checkout.
Unfortunate that moves to legalize marijuana came along about the same time as camping on the sidewalk took off.
Marijuana was commonly available to all at the public high school I attended in the late 70s. People weren’t waiting for ballot initiatives, Governors, Mayors or the Washington State Attorney General to give their blessing.
Honor Roll students sampled it too. Somehow they went on to lead productive lives. Somehow they avoided worst-case scenarios of abuse. We were not out shopping and running errands in pajama pants.
We were not camping on the sidewalk.
In the 60s and 70s, hard drugs were available to rock musicians and celebrities. They worked for a living and were not camping on the sidewalk. When drug abuse led to fatalities, those lessons learned were available to all.
Today- driving in traffic- you are stopped at an intersection and smell clouds of marijuana smoke coming from some adjacent vehicle. No thanks.
Magazine Cover
People learned a long time ago that they could soothe aches and pains, anxiety or depression with marijuana.
People are tired of seeing every other add on TV created by the legal drug dealers for meds with side effects that may destroy quality of life.
How about legal anti-depression meds that may bring on thoughts of suicide (0:34)
Hey, good news-
Grandpa is feeling better now that he has quit smoking.
He is feeling good enough to participate in a TV ad for the meds he took.
When you go to stay with Grandpa this summer, just know that he may be experiencing:
“Hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions”
Another TV ad:
0:24 May increase the chance of heart attack or stroke which can lead to death.
0:44 Bleeding and ulcers which can occur without warning and may cause death.
“Wisconsin has collected a total of 1,312,654 pounds of unwanted medications since Drug Take Back began in 2010 under the leadership of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).”
Let’s step away from the 2024 grocery store and take a trip back to about 1970. The old hardware store in town is a good place to get a key made. Some human interaction is part of it.
People used to repair their own small appliances like toasters and lamps. The hardware store might have repair parts available. The appliances and the repair parts were probably manufactured in a location such as Indiana, Michigan or Ohio.
There’s also a shop in town where you can get your TV repaired instead of throwing it away and buying more. There’s a gas station that will install a new fan belt, check under the hood, do an oil change, give directions or sell you a map, etc.
For food, the gas station has a pop machine and a Cold War era vending machine with candy, gum, and little packs of crackers. Maybe two or three of these.
The place smells like auto transmission fluid and gear oil. Not a bad thing-happy to go back.
If you were a kid in the 70s, you could walk into a gas station and ask if they had any inner tubes for floating around in the water. We did this in Kitsap County (Hockett & Olsen) In the early 1970s. They would find various inner tubes and pump them up to see if they would hold air. They would install an air valve if needed. All free of charge.
Gas stations are mostly gone now. Mini-marts with 24 hour corndogs, nachos and giant cans of beer have taken their place. If you have car trouble, this is probably not the place. Today, the mini-mart will honor your EBT needs.
Missing Man Formation
Back at the (open 24 hours) grocery store- looks like whoever used to operate the floor cleaning rig has gone on to join the WWII veteran who made keys at your local hardware store back when American made cars were attractive, powerful and cool. Trucks were simple and attractive too, they even sold small ones there for awhile.
The floor machine company still makes a unit with a place for a human operator to be seated. Maybe if you purchase the unmanned operations control module or the software to make it work, you can send someone else home.
Here it comes, moving from right to left:
A flashing light and loud/industrial audio warning every few seconds will alert shoppers that nearby cleaning operations are currently underway.
There it goes. Whoever operated the unit can now be removed from the Christmas card/bonus list. Extra space at the office party is now available.
Old Gas Cans
People used to work in US factories making various models of metal gas cans:
These sort of lasted forever. They were easy to use. I have a plastic version from the early 90s that works well. It has a simple air vent. Just right.
Quality replacement parts were sold for years. This kit appears to no longer be available.
Related:
Our laundry room fan stopped working. We went to a big box store to see if they had a replacement part/unit. We only needed the fan motor-nothing else.
In the old days, things would be fixed or repaired. Today, the idea is to throw it away and start over as if the unit had never been installed to begin with.
They want us to rent a vacation spot in Ocean Shores, WA.
The beach here is pretty plain and not too interesting for photos. Further north on the WA coast, or on down to OR is where the more scenic beach views are available. Never mind about all that, just imagine a rocky coast with a storybook lighthouse and you’re good. Keep your imagination turned on, because there is no other way to experience this scene at Ocean Shores.
For several years- going back to 2016, I would blog about having your Halloween candy X-rayed. I made an effort in October this year to find any article that mentioned the practice for 2024 and was not able to find one. Checking now, on Nov 1st, and I am able to find that the practice still does exist. Sort of fun in the same way as looking for the last Blockbuster Video or other franchises that were popular in the last century.
My attitude for this year has changed. I used to make fun of the practice, reading the article here, I see it as offering a way for the kids to take an educational field trip. Maybe some will become interested in working as an X-ray technician. Maybe just a good memory of a family outing and a chance to teach about old Halloween traditions that began in the last century.
We have been setting up trail cams outside for years now. The image above appears to capture some sort of visitor or intruder out back.
Click image once or twice to show detail.
This blog relates to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s. We may have experienced the golden age of trick-or-treating and Halloween fun. The 60s and 70s were the days of church and charity bake sales, Cub Scout cake raffles, stay at home moms, three or four brothers and sisters, grandparent aged neighbors who created homemade treats like popcorn balls and enjoyed seeing kids they knew come by in costume.
Less food sensitivities and allergies, less concern about real life monsters harming kids who were out at play for hours at a time. Walking to the bus stop, bicycle paper routes, etc.
I grew up on the West Coast. Trick or Treat was on Oct 31st each year. Trick or treat was done in the dark.
When I was a child in the 1970s, local authorities, elected officials and newspeople played zero role in telling families when trick or treating would begin or end.
Same country that stages a big celebration of freedom and independence in early July. Same country that once taught a spirit of adventure to small children on Columbus Day.
Mom or Dad might have to jump through their ass to commute home from work on Thursday to get the kids ready for trick or treating and get started at 5:00. The rest of the community might also be rushing during the rush hour in order to get home in time to welcome the little ones to their door.
Deal with it families.
Ohio
October 31, 2024
TRICK OR TREAT TIMES FOR GALLIPOLIS
“The Gallipolis Police Department announced this week the . The annual event will be from 5:30 to 630 pm Thursday, October 31, 2024. We want to remind all drivers to be cautious and drive slowly throughout the community.”
Your family has one hour to start and finish trick or treating for 2024.
This is not some special event at the hardware store or the dentist office:
Try to find scary jacko’ lantern art and decorations in 2024.
It seems that a secret international treaty has been signed- scary jacko’ lantern images are now outlawed.
Almost 100% of decorations available are kind of a Hallmark/Barney the Dinosaur sort of a theme designed for families and 4 year olds.
Not here to take those away- just wish that some of the retro themes were still available. The images were meant to be scary in order to ward off evil spirits.
Still searching…
The scary decorations of my youth have been replaced with this:
Image above – South entrance- Port Townsend Ship Canal
Massing US Border Patrol agents at the southern edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca fails to keep more than 80 grams of fentanyl and 110 grams of meth, from arriving in Port Angeles:
“PORT ANGELES — Clallam County ranks among the top three counties in Washington state with the highest overdose death rates, recording 59.3 deaths per 100,000 residents from June 2023 to June 2024. This rate places Clallam just behind King County, with 62.2 deaths per 100,000, and Grays Harbor, which leads with 77.6.”
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
How do cartels react to opioid lawsuits?
Has a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security created any shortage of opioids anywhere in the US?
Fog Them Down With The Antidote
Fog them down with the antidote. Forward a press release. Whatever it takes- never investigate or question Port Angeles Homeland Security funding and performance.
Thanks for doing time/risking your ass in Iraq and Afghanistan, working to keep a post 911 USA safe & secure.
Don’t worry-The Super Bowl and public affairs will be safe:
Background – Port Angeles CBP
Unlike many cities of its size, Port Angeles, WA maintains a significant Homeland Security/CBP/Border Patrol presence.
Are newspeople forbidden to ask questions related to Port Angeles Homeland Security funding and performance?
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
New Port Angeles USBP Station opened more than a decade ago. Has the new station been able to prevent cartel drugs from entering the Olympic Peninsula?
Newspeople remain silent.
After a Port Angeles CBP buildup that took place more than a decade ago, is there any follow up made by the press to inform the public on whatever results have been achieved?
If you run a government operation-these are the reporters you want to see on interview day:
I would have loved to see the moderators ask questions on how both major parties have taken turns in power/had their hands on the wheel as things went downhill after putting a Man on the Moon in 1969.
These areas had small, local newspapers and those papers featured active, online comment sections. Paying for a newspaper subscription was OK with me. There were basic rules for commenting, but it did not seem to matter what name people went by. I never cared.
Various newspapers in the Puget Sound area have gone with this trend.
Suppressing comments, getting away from asking questions related to public policy and telling us they need more support from subscription and advertising sales.
