Towards the end of the debate, I realized that most of the issues discussed are not new to Americans. The difficulties people are having with these routine parts of life are what’s new.
In past decades American families were not haunted by healthcare concerns. People got started with minimum wage jobs and worked their way up. In the 80s, renting an apartment was a routine thing and did not break the bank. Light bulbs, appliances and auto parts were once made in places like Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Buying a tank of gas was not a big deal. People were not haunted by student loan debt.
The Cold War ended in 1991. There was a time in the 1980s when the US Armed Forces (no recruiting crisis) were strong and ready and also on the back burner.
At one time, the National Guard was thought of 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. At one time, the National Guard was not doing 12 month tours in Iraq, Afghanistan or Africa.
National Guard
These are the people who 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.
Immigration and the US Border Patrol are not new to Americans and have been in place for decades. Enhanced/REAL ID, and a giant US Dept. of Homeland Security (created after the catastrophic failure of 911) are new, along with no shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US and fentanyl addicts camping on the sidewalk in major cities.
Welcome Home Troops
Guns were common in the 60s and 70s, mass casualty school shootings were not.
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 45 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better.
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.
Both major parties will tell us The Troops are in distant lands fighting for our freedoms. Back home, governments at various levels are now in the habit of setting deadlines for new restrictions, bans and mandates for various formerly routine consumer products.
John Wayne generation not heading out to grab beer for the big weekend. Also not over at the new car dealership picking out one of the attractive cars or simple pickup trucks of the 1960s and 70s.
My favorite beer styles are NW or West Coast IPA, German Pilsner and Mexican beer. Here, in the Grays Harbor area, German beer appears to be unavailable. That adds a certain mystique.
I live in an area where beer selection is limited:
The shelf space available is occupied with what is new and most popular. Fizzy, Kool-Aid colored hard seltzers, lite beers, super, extra light low calorie/low carb beers, etc.
We see big money, big polling numbers, big crowd estimates, big celebrity enthusiasm, big news and social media coverage, big patriotism, and big support from people who made it to the very highest levels of government and politics.
During the last century, there was a tradition among American families where one generation after another would do time in uniform.
2024
Ask any supporters of any political party if they are sending young family members down to the US Armed Forces recruiting office to sign up. If people are feeling good about their country, wouldn’t this cross over to supporting new enlistments in the US Armed Forces?
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. Very hard to find news articles that will entertain this point.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
Newspeople refuse to ask:
What happens when American families no longer send the young ones to enlist and will not support a draft?
Bad timing for a draft, because The US Dept. of Defense has been squandering prestige and credibility at home and in distant lands over the past 40 years or so.
Thousands of US families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Four-star officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.
Last Century
During the last century, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina would be no place for a Marine to have long hair. Looks like USMC standards have slipped.
Decades of undeclared/unwon DOD wars is now the norm. Look and see if the new military aid packages create any wave of enthusiasm to sign up.
Some may say it is time to bring back a draft.
They tried that during the Vietnam War. They found out they had to stop.
Last time there was a draft, children were raised by the WWII generation, in families where Mom and Dad were married to each other.
Both major US political parties may be forced to downsize their ambitions for various overseas military operations. Things are slow over at the recruiting office.
Prediction:
The breaking point will come at the US Armed Forces recruiting office.
During the last century, there was a tradition among American families where one generation after another would do time in uniform. A year after signing up, I went into the Marines in 1979. No war. No controversy. No thanks for your service (a good thing). This was a time of Cold War era peacetime stability. The US Armed Forces were on the back burner, right where they are meant to be. Some signed up out of high school, some did not. Both choices were good. The parental generation would support doing an enlistment.
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.
2024
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.
Both major parties are OK with federal prohibition of alcohol and tobacco for adults age 18-20.
No such thing the day I graduated from high school.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
I think it is strange that modern American culture sees veterans as separate & different from the rest of society.
Each November, school teachers across America host Veterans Day assemblies– and promote the idea to children that The Troops are in distant lands-fighting for American rights and freedoms-as if the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
In Washington State, these assemblies are mandatory.
Love to see a student ask: If The Troops fight for your right to sit, stand, kneel, etc.-why were black people still riding at the back of the bus after the big WWII victory?
Love to see a student ask: If the wars aren’t won-how can they protect our freedom?
Love to see a student ask: Whatever happened to lessons about Armistice Day?
Thousands of US families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
I grew up in the 70s near one in the North Kitsap area, but we didn’t go much at all.
Zany ads from a time gone by:
At 2:34 below: The guy who drove off with the speaker still rigged to his car goes to turn in the wrecked item while wearing full business attire.
We are no longer near a drive-in movie, but we recently have been watching movies here at home that may have been typical at the drive-in over the years. We call it Drive-In Movie Night.
Set yourself up with a double feature and have some fun.
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.
Business people would make business decisions. I would let restaurant people run restaurants. They have an incentive to keep their customers safe and happy. Health Dept. standards would be in place for restaurants. I would not get involved in fast food or take out packaging regulations. Customers would support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing. Telling small business people they can’t use the traditional bags they prefer doesn’t seem to fit with 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.
Ultra Lightweight Produce Bags
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.
Don’t Be a Litterbug
I think we’ll use the bag shown at the top of this page to clean out our cat litter box. We will not toss it out the window of our car as we blast down the highway. We will not leave it on the beach. We will bag up our trash and have a proper lid on the trash can. We will pick up trash when we see it blowing through the neighborhood.
I will soon be 64 years old. In the 80s and 90s, I traveled all over the US on interstate highways. This morning at about 8:30 AM we stopped at the rest stop shown above. This was the worst public rest area/rest room facility I have ever seen. If the Health Dept. shut this one down and locked it up for falling below standards, that would be more appropriate than what we saw today.
The WWII generation set up a modern society that seemed to be working pretty well back in the 80s and 90s. What we saw today is extremely unhealthy and disrespectful to the generations that came before us.
AAA Washington
Tried to see if AAA WA had any sort of ratings/reviews for rest areas. I am a member. May not view their web page without first entering home zip code.
No Thanks.
People who are not yet AAA members may move on down the road after running into this marketing strategy restriction or whatever it is.
If an active duty military person is moving PCS across country, what is their zip code? When a person is visiting from outside the US, what is their zip code? Drop the restrictions AAA.
First thing Friday morning, I received a reply/response from WSDOT.
“…this rest area has seen an increased number of visitors in this area as the summer season has been picking up. Our crews have been doing their best to keep up with the cleanliness and supplies of our rest areas not only at this location but all our locations. They will be evaluating next week in areas they are able to improve to have a better rotation of rest area attendants with the peak tourism season ramping up.”
Weak.
Anybody who works in retail, or the hospitality industry knows about seasonal demand for services. This is why UPS staffs up with temp workers prior to the busy Christmas season each year.
No member of the public should have to coach/remind college educated WSDOT supervisors and managers about any of this.
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.
Governments at various levels are now in the habit of setting deadlines for new restrictions, bans and mandates.
If ethanol made a lot of sense we wouldn’t have to subsidize it or mandate its consumption:
We are hearing about a US Armed Forces Recruiting crisis. Maybe veterans, young people and their parents and grandparents are starting to wonder what The Troops are fighting for in undeclared/unwon wars. I am.
Why do 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?
The day I graduated from high school, all 50 states could set their own minimum drinking age.
As time goes on, the consumer 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.
Recent visit to Lake Crescent – a deep body of water carved out by glaciers:
Alternative media provides an update on the banning of gas powered outdoor equipment:
Unlike many local newspapers, alternative media is good with maintaining an active comment section. More than 3,000 comments are posted with the video above.
During the Vietnam War, US troops were sent to Vietnam.
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.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.
In terms of American rights and freedoms-The Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.
American 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.
School children are taught about a free enterprise system. They grow up to find out that the federal government will tell them what kind of shower head they must install in the bathroom, and what type of gas can they must buy for their lawn mower.
Did hostile forces in distant lands attempt to replace US consumer demand with government demand and end the free enterprise system?
We walked down and enjoyed the festival again this year. We spent a good deal of time in the chainsaw carving area. They had live music too.
It was noisy in a happy way. Battery powered saws were not evident at this event. The carvers are putting on a show while working on projects. Fun to watch, fun to listen to. Still time to get down there. Show goes on Sunday too.
This show would not work without loud, gas powered equipment. Good by me.
The USA is a society where honest and meaningful ideas stand up to questioning and discussion, but the questioning and discussion rarely takes place.
Concerns here are not specific to any political party, personality or group identity.
Whatever seemed to work in the modern society of the last century was ditched to experiment with new ways of doing things some years ago. Incentives to maintain the modern society were removed.
This post is brought to you by the Old Man Blog category:
Thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
People can choose to take or reject drug rehab, Salvation Army shelters, etc.
As in the last century, camping on the sidewalk will not be permitted. Unfortunate that moves to legalize marijuana came along around the same time that camping on the sidewalk took off.
Instead of waiting for school teachers to teach about individual rights and limited government authority, waiting on the press to ask questions, or courts to handle cases, these guys go out and update us with a quick reality check.
Lived all over the USA in the 80s and 90s. Was a renter for years. Never had a problem renting. Payed on time, maintained good credit, followed property rules, left the place clean, always got my damage deposit back. Could get a good reference for renting the next place.
WA during COVID:
Governor says you may not be evicted for failure to pay rent.
Killing incentives to maintain apartment complexes and homes for rent. Killing incentives to pay rent on time. Killing incentives to be a good tenant.
Love to see newspeople ask:
Have any arrangements been made to cover property owner’s costs for mortgages, taxes, repairs, maintenance, water, trash pickup, sewer, insurance, etc.
Who pays to have the apartment complex dumpster emptied if the property manager cannot collect rent?
The way I grew up, (started driving in the 70s) there were incentives related to following the rules.
Maintain current registration and insurance. Have valid registration sticker on license plate, no broken tail lights, bulbs out, etc. Avoid speeding tailgating, etc. Park legally. Pay parking/traffic tickets on time so that fines are not multiplied, etc. Get a better rate on insurance by being a good driver.
Today, enforcement on the roads has been cut back.
During the last century, there was a tradition among American families where one generation after another would do time in uniform. I went into the Marines in 1979. No controversy. No war. No thanks for your service (a good thing). The US Armed Forces were on the back burner, right where they are meant to be. Some signed up out of high school, some did not. Both choices were good. The parental generation would support doing an enlistment.
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.
Thousands of US families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Will they encourage new enlistments?
The Oak Bay Starfish Take
The US Dept. of Defense was established after WWII, in the late 1940s. DOD has a truly poor track record with undeclared wars.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
Both major US political parties may be forced to downsize their ambitions for various overseas military operations when American families no longer send the young ones to enlist and will not support a draft.
Four-star officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.
Long-term closure? No chance for a quick cleanup, ongoing State Patrol enforcement, maintenance & volunteer groups to keep rest stops cleaned up and ready to go?
49 other states operate highway rest stops. If I was Governor, I would insist on picking the top 3 states that are best at running rest stops and running WA rest stops in a similar manner until further improvements could be made.
These are federal highways. Publicly funded highway safety facilities will be shut down because of misbehavior? WTF?
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.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.
In terms of American rights and freedoms- The Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.
Symbol of a culture that was once strong (Man On The Moon in ’69). A culture that is now weak. A culture that will yield the right of way to violators while pushing good citizens to the side & collecting big tax money all along the way.
May be for a good cause. Not implying any abuse of the system here, just noticing the effort to get the word out on EBT.
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.
I do not object to public assistance programs.
As the years go by, it seems that a greater part of the population may rely on these programs.
Thank you WHSV, for acknowledging that we are talking about a federal free and reduced school breakfast and lunch program. The press often calls it a free lunch program. The average person, who has no kids in school may not realize that breakfast is also part of the program.
“But as other schools deliberate shutting their doors to slow the spread of the coronavirus, some parents may be left to wonder: If schools close, how will my child eat?”
Again, I do not object to public assistance programs. The press should make an effort to keep the public informed on how these programs are working.
Did the WWII generation rely heavily on public school districts to feed their kids? If they did, was for the assistance program covering just basic items like potatoes, flour, dried beans, rice, apples if there was crop surplus, etc.
100 years ago, did families rely on school districts to feed their children to such an extent that, if school was shut down, school districts would scramble to fill busses with food and send it out into the neighborhoods?
Tax money-which some people intend to be used to help others via public assistance programs-also goes 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 US flag was rarely at half-mast. When it was, it was for a person you would learn about at school the next day, a former president, etc.
Today, I live near a fire station and the flag may seem to be at half-mast for two, or more occasions during a month.
Expanding use of the half-mast symbolism may move it toward being routine and less meaningful.
If you page down here, you can view an archive showing dozens of notices to display the flag at half-mast over the past year or so. Each state has their own reasons for calling for a half-mast display on different days of the year.
Possibly of interest:
Can You Get in Trouble for Not Flying the U.S. Flag at Half-staff?
By: Dave Roos | Feb 15, 2023
Local store recently reorganized the retail floor and some items have moved to new locations. Went looking for Q-tips and usually buy the store brand. I asked a friendly member of the staff and was directed to the new location of this product. I was told that the item must be paid for prior to leaving the beauty/personal care/cosmetic section. No problem with me. I do not bitch to the friendly person who is helping me. I believe that no person at the local outlet made a decision to create these changes.
I’ve got my blog to ask questions. Here goes.
It’s clear the WWII generation is mostly gone now. I can understand that some items are of high value (diamond engagement rings, electronics, etc.) and need to be paid for on the spot. I understand that some items may pose a risk to children (prescription medication, fifth of booze, shotgun shells, etc.) and may need to be sold only to adults.
Not yet understanding why generic/store brand Q-tips fall into any special category.
Image above: We are at a hospital that was built in 1959. A plaque out front tells us so.
This is the check in area for routine services such as blood draws and X-rays. Was any sign like this in place in 1959?
Was there any US Armed Forces recruiting crisis in 1959?
Was there much in the way of undeclared/unwon DOD wars in 1959?
Would the folks who need a sign like the one above react well to being told they must show up to participate in another military draft?
Both major US political parties may be forced to downsize their ambitions for various overseas military operations. Things are slow over at the recruiting office.
Last time there was a draft, children were raised by the WWII generation, in families where Mom and Dad were married to each other.
WWII – Most were drafted
“Over 16 million Americans served in World War II, the majority being members of this generation. 38.8% were volunteers, 61.2% were draftees, the average length of their service was 33 months, and total approximate casualties were 671,278 (killed and wounded).[18] Tom Brokaw and others extol this generation for supporting and fighting World War II.”
It may be awkward for currently serving elected officials, four-star officers and high level DOD civilians to be honest about what they have done with the all volunteer US Armed Forces over the past 40 years or so.
Four-star officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.
Some will say it is time to bring back a draft.
They tried that during the Vietnam War. They found out they had to stop.
WWII costume reminds us of a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
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.
Look for newspeople to avoid tough/honest questions in this area.
Many comments are posted with the video above.
From comments:
“The wars of the past 25 years, perpetrated by both parties, have soured many good citizens on the idea of military service.”
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?
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.
Lies About Freedoms
American culture is good with lies about freedoms.
Americans are told that US troops are sent to distant lands to defend American rights and freedoms.
American 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.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.
In terms of American rights and freedoms- The Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
It feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
“…Seattle Times ClimateLab articles are not doing anyone a favor by telling tall tales about drought and climate change.”
“Truth matters. Or at least it should.”
The Uniparty is OK with decades of undeclared/unwon DOD wars and whatever pollution they generate. Look out for bans and restrictions on that lawnmower you wanted to buy.
Recent visit to Lake Crescent – a deep body of water carved out by glaciers:
Alternative media provides an update on the banning of gas powered outdoor equipment:
Unlike many local newspapers, alternative media is good with maintaining an active comment section. More than 3,000 comments are posted with the video above.
Welcome Home Troops
As time goes on, the consumer 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.
“Weinhard started making beer in Portland in 1856, when the city itself was just five years old. Now the beer named after him, and brewed locally since 1976, has been discontinued by parent company Molson Coors.”
“Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley announced the company will be discontinuing the beer, along with 10 other economy brands, as it shifts it focus to premium brands and newer offerings like hard seltzers. He made the announcement in the company’s second-quarter earning report.”
They must have changed their mind, because I have seen Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve out and about at several locations in recent months.
Went out this afternoon and was looking for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Went to two locations. One had an old date-looks like they no longer stock it. The other location had a not so new date.
The shelf space available is occupied with what is new and most popular. Fizzy, Kool-Aid colored hard seltzers, lite beers, super, extra light low calorie/low carb beers, etc.
Alternative media provides an update on the banning of gas powered outdoor equipment:
Welcome Home Troops
The Uniparty is OK with decades of undeclared/unwon DOD wars and whatever pollution they generate. Look out for bans and restrictions on that lawnmower you wanted to buy.
Unlike many local newspapers, alternative media is good with maintaining an active comment section. More than 3,000 comments are posted with the video above.
If ethanol made a lot of sense we wouldn’t have to subsidize it or mandate its consumption:
We are hearing about a US Armed Forces Recruiting crisis. Maybe veterans, young people and their parents and grandparents are starting to wonder what The Troops are fighting for in undeclared/unwon wars. I am.
Heading to a safe place in the hills, spending a couple of hours shooting at tin cans, cleaning up the trash and heading home. What Fun.
Dad had his own TV repair shop. Consumer goods could be fixed or repaired, not thrown out.
Longer version shows son coming home from high school. He turns out for sports:
Several interesting comments posted with the video above.
Back in those days, the US Armed Forces were sort of on the back burner. It was more a time of peace and stability. Moms and Dads of the time tended to be supportive of those who wanted to sign up. The young man here, may have had an after school paper route at one time or may have worked part time at the sort of gas station that used to be able to help to keep your car running. The bicycle paper routes and gas stations are gone now. Mini-marts with 24 hour corndogs, nachos and giant cans of beer have taken their place. Some of these locations may honor EBT:
Success, failure, victory and defeat. It’s all sort of blended together for a special made for TV marketing tribute to a catastrophic military failure:
The US Dept. of Homeland Security was invented after the catastrophic military failure of 911. (Anybody fired over this?) The idea was to keep bad people from coming to the US to do bad things/attempt another 911, etc.
Wouldn’t the giant War on Terror be a cartel drug trafficker’s worst nightmare?
Has a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security created any shortage of opioids in the Puget Sound area?
If Americans lived in a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking public policy related questions all of the time. This is not the case.
Way To Go Team.
Decades of undeclared/unwon wars.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Thousands of American families have had a loved one in the regular or reserve US Armed Forces who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. National Guard too.
President Biden announces student loan forgiveness
I finished my time in the Marines in 1999 with a solid attitude and a patriotic spirit. The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Today, my attitudes have changed.
I did some time in the USMC during a part of the last century.
It did not serve to prevent 911 or the undeclared/unwon wars that followed.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. I don’t feel connected with it.
Newspeople have moved away from asking questions over the past 35 years or so.
Americans do not live in a free and honest society. Today, the mainstream media will function like paid actors reading a script:
Would any newsperson ever ask:
Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?
US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?
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.
Four-star officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.
Good luck with your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.
Alternative media provides an update on the banning of gas powered outdoor equipment:
As time goes on, the consumer 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.
Welcome Home Troops
The Uniparty is OK with decades of undeclared/unwon DOD wars and whatever pollution they generate. Look out for bans and restrictions on that lawnmower you wanted to buy.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Sorry, no time for newspeople to ask:
The B-52 bomber/US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?
If we can just get the veterans, parents and grandparents of the USA-those who have lived through decades of DOD undeclared/unwon wars-to recommend an enlistment to the young family members in their life, things will be looking up.
I was happy will all aspects of their service and I would go with them next time.
Our laundry room fan stopped working. We went to a big box store to see if they had a replacement part/unit.
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.
Alternative media provides an update on the banning of gas powered outdoor equipment:
Unlike many local newspapers, alternative media is good with maintaining an active comment section. More than 3,000 comments are posted with the video above.
“Lawmakers would establish temporary sales and use tax relief and a temporary grant program to accelerate the transition to electric-powered machinery.”
“However, workers have questioned the bill’s practicality.”
“Electric chainsaws are not going to work for our industry,” Washington Contract Loggers Association executive director Jerry Bonagofsky told the Capital Press. “What you see out there may work for homeowners, possibly some light landscaping, but for commercial operations, it’s not going to be efficient enough or productive enough.”
A move by WA elected officials to ban gas powered equipment doesn’t seem to fit with 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.
Be Sure To Tune In For The Super Bowl DOD Jet Flyover Before The Big Game
Bringing all the swagger that comes with decades of undeclared/unwon wars. The US Dept. of Defense was established after WWII, in the late 1940s. DOD owns a significant track record with undeclared wars.
If ethanol made a lot of sense we wouldn’t have to subsidize it or mandate its consumption:
We are hearing about a US Armed Forces Recruiting crisis. Maybe veterans, young people and their parents and grandparents are starting to wonder what The Troops are fighting for in undeclared/unwon wars. I am.
Governments at various levels are now in the habit of setting deadlines for new restrictions, bans and mandates.
Photos above: Recently purchased store brand LED bulbs for general home use.
I’ve been using various brands of LED bulbs at home for years now. This past week, 3 or 4 of them went out, one at a time. The ones that went out were not all the same brand. My take is that they are not lasting any longer than the bulbs I used 35 years ago.
When I was a kid, lightbulbs were made in places like Ohio, Indiana or Michigan. They were the cheaper/simpler version. Household appliances, auto parts, kids bikes, lawn equipment and tools may have also been manufactured in those locations. Things were made to be fixed or repaired, not thrown out.
Possibly of interest
Old Man Blog category:
Thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
A good part of my high school years in the late 70s felt like they were sponsored by Rainier Beer. We pronounce it Ray-Neer. It was brewed in Seattle at the time. That was a good city in the last century.
We are watching Longmire again and enjoying it.
Sheriff Longmire drinks the same and calls it something like Rahneer.
I like his old school style. He drives the older SUV. His lockback knife is more like what was popular in the 80s. Uniforms are interesting and casual. The Sheriff wears what looks like a winter coat pretty often, even if the weather seems warm. Vic wears her uniform shirt unbuttoned at the top with sort of roll in the hay kind of look. Not much in the way of standards in place. The older vehicles in the show are appreciated. The truck driven by Henry Standing Bear is an example.
Winter weather note: The last few days have been great for keeping beer cold in the garage at this location.
We head out to Westport to see the working waterfront and an authentic seaport town. Generations of families have memories of coming out for fishing trips, spending time at the state parks and beaches, etc.
I am sort of a concealed carry person when it comes to having a smart phone. I am totally at peace with the idea of going for weeks without picking it up. I do not know or care what version of phone I have. Completely good with those who may take joy in being connected with all this. Not here to take anything away from them.
We went in for lunch and my wife pointed out the sign above to me. Love it.
We are at Aloha Alabama BBQ. My wife likes it because they have a plant based menu option. I like the rest of the menu, good service and a nice glass of ale. We drop in here most anytime we are in town.
Towards the end of the debate, I realized that most of the issues discussed are not new to Americans. The difficulties people are having with these routine parts of life are what’s new.
