Drill Instructors and Marines with November Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion march towards the Peatross Parade Deck before their graduation ceremony Nov. 16, 2018 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. (Official U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Yamil Casarreal)
Somebody in Washington D.C. decided that boot camp for male Marines should no longer be separate from Marine boot camp for female Marines. Marine Corps leadership followed along and did as they were told.
“Today, however, the Congress has relinquished its delegated powers, giving the President license to do whatever he and his office determine that they can get away with. Consequentially, the presidential and legislative oaths to the Constitution have just turned into a great photo op on inauguration day.”
“It is a sad and hard realization for a grunt who loves the Marine Corps to admit that the organization is not used in the preservation of liberty, and has not been used toward that end for a very long time.”
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.
Image above: Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
For Americans born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s, there have been several episodes over the decades where the federal government version of events may have fallen into question over the years, or may never have been fully resolved.
By now, some Americans may feel that both major political parties are manipulative and dishonest.
“What changed between Bondi saying the lists were on her desk and pledging to release them, to now assuring us no lists exist and acting as if only kooks would assume they did?”
“A few days ago, the president embarrassed himself by chastising a reporter who dared ask about disclosures Trump’s own team previously promised. It was a reasonable question (indeed, an obligatory one) to ask on the first opportunity since Trump’s team told us there was nothing to reveal. Aside from being lame and pathetic, Trump’s dismissive response contradicted accusatory comments he’d frequently made.”
Love the way Cenk Uygur narrates at 6:41 in the video below:
Unlike many local newspapers, alternative media is good with maintaining an active comment section. More than 4,000 comments are posted with the video above.
Old Man Blog Category
Thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
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.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Both major political parties are good with it.
Understandable why young people & their parents & grandparents would take a dim view on all this. Continuing on this path will wear down the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.
There has been good news for recruiting recently after standards were modified to create a prep course category for training recruits.
Our take:
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
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?
Any questions from newspeople?
National Guard
National Guard recruiting would be tricky.
Recruiters are looking for people who will need to maintain a place to live and a regular job in their hometown area when they are not doing time in foreign lands helping DOD with undeclared/unwon wars and missions completely unrelated to their home state.
A few decades back, people might think of the National Guard as 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.
Would any newsperson ever ask:
Why do the people of Home State, USA need services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Will there ever come a time when newspeople ask if there is any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war, linked to the movement of National Guard troops to an overseas location?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials, top Pentagon Generals and the press earned it.
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 you help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better.
As time goes on, the choices we have are becoming more restricted by a combination of government and big business policies, not Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden or the next bad guy DOD will be going after in distant lands.
Since 1980-
A giant US Dept. of Homeland Security and mixed messages on cartel product inside the US.
Look for newspeople to ask zero questions in this area:
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?
Over in Island County
Has the Island County Homeland Security-funded patrol boat been involved in any arrest or seizure related in any way to the US/Canada border?
If you are on the Kristi Noem team, you are out kicking ass.
If you are part of a local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team, you are advertising the latest big drug bust after cartel product is able to move past the jurisdiction of federal agents at borders, border crossings and ports of entry and a barrier of DOD ground units, US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels prior to arriving in Hometown, USA.
If you are part of a local health dept. you are handing out Naloxone as always, to deal with the stuff that doesn’t get reported in the big local drug bust.
The WWII Generation had things up & running in the 80s and 90s. Will best advances in REAL ID & AI technologies make it better?
Will newspeople ask questions?
Just Be Honest
Elected officials from both major political parties and high level DOD civilians speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
The press plays along by not asking questions.
The post 911 era has been a time to tell the American people that US troops are sent to distant lands to defend American freedoms. This urban legend has run its course. People have seen enough now to know this is no more than a marketing strategy. Uniparty newspeople play along by not asking questions. Please see video below.
Memorial Day Marketing Strategy
The idea that the US Armed Forces are sent to distant lands to defend American rights and freedoms is repeated many times over.
The reality is that American freedoms may come and go and appear to be completely unrelated to military operations/US Troops in distant lands, or the Sound of Freedom over Coupeville.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in this area:
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.
Looks like the final summer for my favorite outdoor chair.
It was like an old pair of blue jeans, it got better as it got older. This is a stay at home chair. We have several newer chairs ready for guests, or if we need to pack along chairs when we head out or head over.
This one had the special ice holder vault built into the left arm. Just the ticket for those who don’t want to unass and reach for a cooler. I never used it even one time. If you did, it would create a swampy condition when the ice was gone and become an incubator for mildew in the warm weather. Same would occur if you hosed off the chair or it got rained on.
Had a couple even more favorite chairs over the years:
I used to love these. They were used constantly until they wore out.
So comfortable, it was great for use as in indoor chair while traveling.
About the time I decided these were the best chair ever made, they became extinct. Haven’t seen one in years. Really don’t remember when or where I bought these.
The gas can came along for many salt and freshwater canoe outings in N. Carolina, California and WA.
The area where I lived in N.C. was surrounded by fresh and saltwater areas that were very appropriate for a canoe.
I found a used canoe and separately, a used outboard. In many cases I would leave the outboard off and enjoy quiet paddling and much in the way of wildlife sightings out and about in the stillness of rivers and wetlands. I made good use of this rig later in California and in Washington State.
In the photo below, I’m ready to launch at Twin Spits (N.E. entrance to Hood Canal) on a low tide day.
Above:
A clamshell beach on the eastern shore of Rat Island, near Kilisut Harbor.
The can was also used for mowing on Whidbey Island:
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better. I think I touched bottom with news and politics a while back.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
Armed Forces Recruiting Crisis
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. Continuing on this path will wear down the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.
Thousands of American families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
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.
Elected officials from both major political parties and high level DOD civilians speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
The press plays along by not asking questions.
The post 911 era has been a time to tell the American people that US troops are sent to distant lands to defend American freedoms. This urban legend has run its course. People have seen enough now to know this is no more than a marketing strategy. Uniparty newspeople play along by not asking questions. Please see video below.
Memorial Day Marketing Strategy
The idea that the US Armed Forces are sent to distant lands to defend American rights and freedoms is repeated many times over.
The reality is that American freedoms may come and go and appear to be completely unrelated to military operations/US Troops in distant lands, or the Sound of Freedom over Coupeville.
Good news: efforts are being made to keep young people fed.
Random Thoughts
Some may think of a time when there may have been no need for such a program.
Some people may think this would be a part of parental responsibilities.
How did all this work when the WWII generation raised their kids?
Any questions from newspeople to give us a better understanding of the program?
Cold War Era Gas Station
I grew up in the 60s and 70s. We had gas stations. They would install a new fan belt, check under the hood, do an oil change, give directions or sell you a map, etc. For food, they had 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 smelled like auto transmission fluid and gear oil. Not a bad thing-happy to go back.
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.
Tax money-which some people intend to be used to help others via public assistance programs-has also gone for bombing Iraq and Afghanistan.
Helping others by donating to churches or private charities, food banks, etc. can avoid these conflicts.
Donors are free to opt out if a charity misbehaves.
People could keep more of their own money to donate to causes of their choosing if the federal government was not taking it to pay for wasteful programs.
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.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
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.
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.
How did the recent ICE raids start out? I don’t know all the answers, I have no LE experience. The perception may be that the initial arrival of LE personnel in Los Angeles involved those dressed in military-style gear.
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.
“In March, the King County Council approved the formation of a new task force aimed at improving safety measures on public transit.”
“The task force came on the heels of a string of violent incidents on buses, including the stabbing death of Metro driver Shawn Yim. Yim was killed while on his route in Seattle’s University District on Dec. 18, 2024.”
Several interesting comments are posted with the article above.
Would any newsperson ever ask:
Have Seattle area drug addicts had any difficulty finding their cartel product of choice due to the March 20, 2025 Kristi Noem public affairs crackdown?
Public lands closed to the public June 4th, then reopened June 8th:
The U.S. Forest Service overseeing the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest issued a forest closure on June 4 for the area where the girls were found. They rescinded the closure on June 8.
“After law enforcement officers spent days scouring a remote section of Washington state for a man accused of killing his three young daughters, the sheriff leading the manhunt turned the search over to federal authorities, officials said Monday.”
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.
“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.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
