Article

2013-10-09

Good morning

Posted by Fred 2013-10-09 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 Birthday Gam Shot

Erin Daniels[Filmography](age 40)

Mustard, Ketchup and Specially Designed Relish

Special Treat for Gorb

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2013-10-09 00:15|| 2013-10-09 00:15|| Front Page Top

Obama spending much more money on barriers, personnel, and logistics to close some of the most sacred memorials to freedom than it would have taken to keep them open.

**************************************************************

Lt. Robert Mason Mathis was the leader of the second platoon, E. Company, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 82nd Airborne Division. At midnight, June 5/6, 1944, he was riding in a C-47 Dakota over the English Channel, headed toward the Cotentin Peninsula of Normandy. Two hours later, the plane was over France and starting to take some flak from German guns.

At 0227 hours, Lieutenant Mathias saw the red light go on over the open door of the plane, the signal to get ready.

"Stand up and hook up!" Lieutenant Mathias called out to the sixteen men behind him as he hooked the clip from his parachute to the static line running down the middle of the roof of the aircraft. He stepped to the open door, ready to jump the instant the pilot decided the plane was over the drop zone and turned on the green light.

The Germans below were firing furiously at the air armada of 822 C-47s carrying the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions into battle. Flakvierling-38s (20mm four-barreled antiarcraft guns) filled the sky with explosions; machine-gun tracers-green, yellow, red, blue, white arched through the sky. ... For every visible tracer, there were five unseen bullets.

Mathias had his hands on the outside of the doorway, ready to propel himself into the night the instant the green light went on. A shell burst just beside him. Red-hot flak ripped through his reserve chute into his chest, knocking him off his feet.

With mighty effort, he began to pull himself back up. The green light went on.

At twenty-eight years of age, Mathias was five or so years older than the other lieutenants in the 508th, but he did not look it. He had reddish blond hair and an Irishman's freckles, which gave him a boyish appearance. Long and lanky (six foot one, 175 pounds), he was in superb condition, all raw bone and muscle, strong enough to survive a blow that would have felled an ox and recover almost instantly. He regained his feed and resumed his post at the door.

When Lieutenant Mathias was wounded from the shell burst and the green light went on, he had enough strength to push himself out of the way, so that the men behind him could jump. Had he done so, the crew of the C-47 could have applied first aid and - perhaps - gotten him back to England in time for a life-saving operation.

Instead, Mathias raised his right arm, called out "Follow me!" and leaped into the night. ... he was located a half hour or so later, he was still in his chute, dead. He was the first American officer killed by German fire on D-Day.

D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose

Posted by Thrans Splat1574 2013-10-09 00:59|| 2013-10-09 00:59|| Front Page Top

#3 True, spending more to close than keep open, but the law requires them to be closed - hence 'essential' spending. In a bureaucracy rules are rules, and judgement is not permitted. Of course some enjoy hiding behind rules to inflict pain and exercise power...

Posted by Glenmore 2013-10-09 06:01|| 2013-10-09 06:01|| Front Page Top

#4 rules are rules

I believe the proper terminology established at Nuremberg was "I was just obeying orders".

Posted by Procopius2k 2013-10-09 09:21|| 2013-10-09 09:21|| Front Page Top

#5 The overly-used (and abused) Nuremberg citation doesn't really apply here.

Rules come from organizations. Orders come from personnel and from senior to junior. The latter doesn't necessarily require rules.

How the rules are interpreted and enforced is another matter. But it ain't Nuremberg-level.

Posted by Pappy 2013-10-09 10:59|| 2013-10-09 10:59|| Front Page Top

#6 What is applicable is the willingness of people to simply hide behind rules or orders because they won't take responsibility or accept accountability. It's easy to be a cog in the great machine. Cogs have no morality or humanity. They simply are. Then they're surprised and plea the victim card when they ultimately are held accountable.

Posted by Procopius2k 2013-10-09 11:38|| 2013-10-09 11:38|| Front Page Top

#7 Not yet anyway but please excuse some of us if we get a little paranoid.

Historically, the way our government has worked is that opposing parties compromise. If John Boehner and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives have the constitutional power to stymie any budget, continuing resolution or debt ceiling increase it stands to reason that Harry Reid and Barack Obama must negotiate with the Republicans. A refusal to negotiate is irresponsible and un-American just like so many things about this president.

He refuses to enforce "certain" laws and when existing laws don't suit him he issues executive orders. He gives hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to businesses that he favors and when they default he does nothing. Then we find that some of those businessmen contributed to his election campaign. His willingness to drag us into foreign wars in which our country's security is clearly not at stake and without Congressional approval is troubling. His obsequiousness in the presence of foreign leaders like Medvedev and the Soddy king is deeply disturbing. His reckless borrowing threatens the financial security of us all.

Yeah, we're paranoid. I think we have good reason to be.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2013-10-09 11:53|| 2013-10-09 11:53|| Front Page Top

#8 We are NOT paranoid, Ebbang: Paranoia is an IRRATIONAL fear...

Posted by Glenmore 2013-10-09 12:33|| 2013-10-09 12:33|| Front Page Top

#9 Only the Paranoid Survive - Andrew Grove (Intel's "founder")

Posted by 3dc 2013-10-09 16:37|| 2013-10-09 16:37|| Front Page Top

#10 "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean you don't mean they aren't after you" - Joseph Heller

Posted by Rambler in Virginia 2013-10-09 18:04|| 2013-10-09 18:04|| Front Page Top

#11 What is applicable is the willingness of people to simply hide behind rules or orders because they won't take responsibility or accept accountability

I trust then that you're willing to pay the mortgage of the first NPS ranger who says "no"?

Posted by Pappy 2013-10-09 22:00|| 2013-10-09 22:00|| Front Page Top

#12

Posted by gorb 2013-10-09 22:53|| 2013-10-09 22:53|| Front Page Top

#13 I trust then that you're willing to pay the mortgage of the first NPS ranger who says "no"?

I trust in the final court ruling on behalf of those covered by the civil service act. If you don't then its past time to throw the act out.

Posted by Procopius2k 2013-10-09 23:19|| 2013-10-09 23:19|| Front Page Top

23:58 JosephMendiola
23:52 JosephMendiola
23:20 Procopius2k
23:19 Procopius2k
22:53 gorb
22:41 Mullah Richard
22:39 Zenobia Floger6220
22:36 Mullah Richard
22:21 Pappy
22:00 Pappy
21:55 Barbara
21:53 newc
21:44 newc
21:40 Dale
21:40 Beldar Glineter4775
21:37 newc
21:32 Zenobia Floger6220
20:40 trailing wife
20:36 trailing wife
19:44 Thing From Snowy Mountain
19:14 Canuckistan sniper
19:05 Canuckistan sniper
18:54 Airandee
18:50 Airandee