Weekend Open Thread

| May 22, 2020

May 22 is National Maritime Day. In 1819, the first steam-powered ship embarked on a transatlantic voyage. Both this ship and the first nuclear-powered merchant ship were named Savannah. Today, it celebrates the maritime professions. Enjoy your weekend.

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5th/77th FA

1st

Commissioner Wretched

Hey … is that your Double Ace, or do you have one more to go? I lost count.

5th/77th FA

We will have to defer to the Keeper of The Book of FIRST for an official ruling, but by my count, yes it is. Speaking of which, where is the Claw? He has been extremely conspicuous in his absence of late. Maybe an Admin needs to drop him a line/do a welfare check on the boy. We haven’t even had a spinning of the Whiz Wheel is a good little while now.

By my count, the 1st FIRST in this unprecedented Victory Run started on the FIRST earned on 20 March. On 17 April The King of Battle earned the very FIRST ACE of FIRST, 5 in a row. On 8 May the very FIRST ACE and 8 of FIRST was earned. That makes today, a date that will live in infamy, 22 May 2020 as the date that The King of Battle, a past member of the 5th Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment (Sergeant Missile) and the FIRST Battalion, 333rd Field Artillery Regiment (Lance Missile) EARNED a never before thought possible, unprecedented DOUBLE ACE of FIRST, on the This Ain’t Hell (but you can see it from here)/Valor Guardians Blog Site. A feat that has never before been accomplished and will never be duplicated. There will never be another FIRST ACE or a FIRST Double ACE. There may be more ACEs and even Double ACEs, but there can be only One FIRST of FIRST.

I dedicate this achievement, Sacred to the Memory of Fallen American Service Members who have given their all in Defense of Freedom and in Honor of all of The FIRST Responders that stand ready to protect us.

jerry

Some number

Thunderstixx

FIRST !!!

Thunderstixx

Damn….
Seconds, just seconds !!!

Thunderstixx

Well, I have to pay homage to the King of Battle, the Great Equalizer and the home of the best toys on Earth !!!
“Lord over us Dickweeds as you wish oh Great King Of Battle”
“May the Sword of Gondor be ever at your side”!!!
Until next week anyway, then we’ll get the sucker and make him eat dirt !!!!

Combat Historian

Fourth

Graybeard

Fourth!

Graybeard

Dang. Fifth.

Preferably a good Bourbon or Scotch, please.

Graybeard

Picked a mess of beans today.
Grandkids helped me with weeding and finding the beans.
The yellow squash is doing well. Corn coming on, hopefully in a few weeks I can fight the coons off and get some fresh sweet corn.
Okra is growing well.
Getting a few jalapenos as well.

Had fun at 1-year-old granddaughter’s birthday party yesterday evening. One of the joys of being in the country.

Y’all have a great weekend.

lmn0351

damn…..top 5

Roh-Dog

I was busy! For good reason,

Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) Tweeted:
Joe Biden on The Breakfast Club:

“If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.” https://t.co/1CoFmYN2Lv

You’re welcome, fam!
And FA, you gonna give someone else a try?! (Lowkey: congRATs)

5th/77th FA

DAAAAAYUUUUUM!!!! That was close! FIRE MISSION FIRE MISSION FIRE MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Target all Batt trees FIRE FOR EFFECT!!!!!!

FIRST on the TAH Friday Weekend Open Thread!

The FIRST DOUBLE ACE OF FIRST to THE KING OF BATTLE 5th 77th Field Artillery…GUN BUNNIES RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good shot jerry but no brass ring! There will be unlimited refreshments up to an including Fajitas, cheese grits with shrimps, cat headed biscuits stuffed with pulled pork Mongolian BBQ, and of course, pizza, hot wings, and your choice of coldbeers and Top Shelf Whiskeys served up at Firebase Magnolia!

Commissioner Wretched

Wow … nothing, it seems, can stop the 5th/77th FA juggernaut toward Double Ace! Certainly not little ol’ me. Anyway, to mark some auspicious occasion or other, let’s have a look at this week’s trivia column, shall we? DID YOU KNOW…? Is there a place where a school basketball gym crosses two states? By Commissioner Wretched Well, what do you know? We’re in the only week in May that doesn’t have a holiday in it. The first week of the month we had Cinco de Mayo – and oh, what a day that is! (Especially if you like Mexican food, which I do.) Last week, we had two holidays – Mother’s Day was last Sunday, and last Saturday was Armed Forces Day. I guess if your mom was in the service you celebrated on Wednesday, I don’t know. Next week we have Memorial Day on Monday. But this week … bupkis. So, by the power vested in me by absolutely nobody, I hereby declare this Trivia Week. To celebrate, I’ll donate one column of information, with which you may do whatever you please. Join me, won’t you, in celebrating Trivia Week right now! Did you know … … “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” is the longest-running live-action television program in American history? It premiered on September 20, 1999, and is now in its 21st year, still producing first-run episodes today. It passed the old record-holder, “Gunsmoke” (1955-1975), with its first episode of 2020. The longest-running scripted show of any kind is the animated favorite “The Simpsons,” which debuted on December 17, 1989 and, 31 years later, is still going strong. (Admit it – as soon as you started reading this one you heard that two-tone musical note from “SVU” in your head, didn’t you?) … it is possible to open a bottle of wine with your shoe? (Why you would want to, I couldn’t begin to imagine.) … kissing is actually healthier than shaking hands? (Yeah!!!!) … starfish have an eye at the end of each of their arms? (All the better to see you with, my dear!) …… Read more »

Thunderstixx

So you’re the guy that sparked then name of “The Commish” on said TV show.
I think we should elevate you to the position of TAH Commish with all the assorted paraphernalia that goes with it !!!
All in favor say Aye !!!

Thunderstixx

I really enjoy these posts.
I’m also a fountain of useless knowledge. I leave Uber riders in awe with my knowledge of the insane and inane knowledge all the time.
Keep up the great work “Commish” !!!

5th/77th FA

‘stixx, I think the Commissioner Wretched comes from his days in Gotham City, kinda another name for Chief of Poe lease, or city Father figure. May be why he acts a little “batty”…man. Don’t think he would do any robbin’, be more like a racoon, dark circles around his eyes, always on the prowl for food, does his best work at night, kinda chubby, and a little shady. Not sure.

I too have a noggin full of useless tidbits of info and have been the go to in many circles. I enjoy CW’s missives on a weekly basis and look forward to each edition. In re today’s offerings, I’ve only watched the Simpsons about once, but try to catch the reruns of Gunsmoke everyday on the broadcast ME TV Network. They hit locally at 1300hrs, and right now they have reset to the very FIRST 1/2 hour episodes, B&W. Can’t really see Miss Kitty’s Red Hair in these, but I’m telling ya, in 1955 she shore was a skinny, purty, little gal. Does piss me off when I see her wearing a dress with a zipper running down the back of it. I don’t think they ever fixed that little piece of trivia in the 20 years it ran.

David

My wife describes the trivia I have s swamp gas, it just bubbles up.

To go with the high school, used to be half of the State Line restaurant in west El Paso was in NM, the other in TX. Whether you could get a drink sometimes depended on where you sat.

I think that maried couple stat is skewed… ought to be at least 10% who would PAY to have their spouse takn away…

A Proud Infidel®™

“The first week of the month we had Cinco de Mayo-”

THIS YEAR it happened on Taco Tuesday and celebration was BANNED because of a Chinese virus named after a Mexican beer!

11B-Mailclerk

I prefer to celebrate Quattro de Julio.

11B-Mailclerk

Some GQ Prog-tard recently referred to -George Wallace- as a Republican.

Wallace, the star of numerous Donk conventions, famous for his defense of Jim Crow and Segregation.

Mason

They frequently make that “mistake”. Take a racist scion of the Democratic party and list him as an (R). When (better yet IF) it’s retracted, nobody ever sees it.

It happens so often that it’s got to be covered in some class at “journalism” school.

5th/77th FA

Amazing too, how many don’t know that Lincoln and MLK Jr, were Republicans. Have worked with “educated people” of several races that didn’t know that. Alabama got hung with George Wallace. We were stuck with Lester Maddox. Odd thing about both of them tho, was they did have the support and votes of the Black Folks down here and did a lot for the Black Folks. Neither were racists per se as much as they were segregationists. And segregation was something that many of the newly freedmen wanted after the War. The cry was for “separate but equal.

Mason

Which is what a lot of the enlightened higher educated folks want now.

Hack Stone

Hack can’t understand that.

We need separate social centers on college campuses because we feel threatened by white people. (Good)

We need separate social centers on college campuses because we feel
threatened by people of
color. (Racist!)

Can someone explain that to Hack?

11B-Mailclerk

Separate was and is inherently unequal.

Most black folk could not vote, you may recall.

Not exactly equal, eh?

5th/77th FA

I remember going with Momma and Papa to the voting place in 1956. Black folks were voting then, in the same place. Not saying voter suppression was not going on in ALL areas of the country and some points in time. And most of those Black Folks were voting Republican…The Party of Lincoln, of which many people, former Lt Gnrl James Longstreet FIRST Corps ANV included, were members of. Many in the South were called yellow dog democrats, because they would vote for a yellow dog as long as it was a democrat. I do remember Papa voting for Ike in ’56 and am almost certain he voted for him in ’52. Pop being an Army Vet, ETO, probably had a lot to do with it, he spoke highly of Ike. Patton and Bradley too. The majority of the churches were mixed race before the war, the balcony being used by the Black congregation. Many of the ones that Sherman didn’t manage to burn are still standing and in business today. A majority of the predominately Black Churches were started by those same churches during Reconstruction beginning in 1866. And many of the towns here had prominent Black owned and operated businesses that were quite successful, doing trade with white and black alike. For the most part, contrary to stereotypes, Georgia has done a better job than other sections of the country in that the citizens managed to get along with one another, without or in spite of gubmint interference. Not saying there weren’t problems, but we never had the race riots here, nothing like in New York, Detroit, Chicago, LA, Birmingham ect. Like anything else, a lot of times it goes back to your upbringing/home training. We were raised to respect the people that gave us respect and to not judge other than on character, regardless of race, creed, socio economic background, or…gasp… religious or sexual orientation.

NHSparky

I can’t wait to hear Dipshit try to defend this.

Mason

Symone Sanders, openly racist bitch that she is and Biden campaign senior advisor, said it was a joke. I watched the video. It’s something that he meant IMO. Now if he were a black Democrat like Sharpton, Jackson, or the rest this wouldn’t be the least bit controversial.

The DNC once again is the party of overt and unashamed racism.

The Other Whitey

Red Dawn progress for those interested.

https://www.deviantart.com/yt45

Commissioner Wretched

Damn, TOW! The level of detail is incredible! That is some excellent work!!!

The Other Whitey

The LVTP-5 kit in the background is for another project I’m working on for another scene of my Uncle and his dog in Vietnam.

Cameron

What do you think of DeviantArt’s new Eclipse design?

The Other Whitey

Honestly hadn’t noticed, since I mostly just use the phone app.

5th/77th FA

Coming along handsomely TOW. Surprised you can get anything done, take care of the older chil’ren, spoil that newly arrived Baby Girl, eye Mrs TOW with bad intents, all of this in addition to your other duties. I look forward to the updates every week. Can’t hardly wait to see the completed K-9 and Uncle one.

The Other Whitey

There’s actually two of those in the works; a small one for my aunt (Mom’s older sister, Uncle Greg’s younger sister), and the larger one for my cousin (Uncle Greg’s son) and his boys.

Mason

It’s shit. Now for some reason I can’t switch back to the old style (I used to have a toggle).

One way I liked to explore new content was to see something I like and dig into the collections people had added things to. Now I can’t find how to get that functionality.

It really reminds me of working for the government again. Every “advancement” makes things twice as hard.

Only Army Mom

Anybody see the announcement that Trump is ordering flags at half staff at Federal buildings for the next three days for Covid victims?

On Memorial Day weekend? Please tell me I’m being trolled.

NHSparky

And yet a majority of Americans don’t know the meaning or significance of the holiday, according to a story linked on Drudge.

OWB

No, you are not being trolled. BUT, there are still swaths of folks and localities where Memorial Day is when you remember, honor, and decorate the graves of ALL the dead. It was still called “Decoration Day” when I was a kid.

So, is this an appropriate declaration by the prez? Some of us would think so, yes.

11B-Mailclerk

The Donks wanted flags half-staffed for 100k deaths. Maybe they should half-staff for Donk massacres of grannies by pushing ChiCom Coof patients to old folks homes.

Trump finessed their antics with this action.

marinedad61

Flag lowered at the VFW Post earlier today.

Hack Stone

Hack will claim last post of the preceding week’s WOT. Hack would also like to give a shout out to Phil Monkress of All Points Logistics, because without his false claims of service as a Genuine United States Navy SEAL, Hack never would have secured that sweet gig as Director Of Media Relations for a proud but humble woman owned business that sold software to the federal government. But don’t you worry, you lovable baskets of Deplorables, once this Coronavirus thing is over, our company will be back and just as strong as we were in 2015. Be sure to preorder your Y3K software now, before prices go up. And remember to keep Elaine Ricci in your thoughts and prayers.

Roh-Dog

Hack might also be reminded that Phil Monkress of All Points Logistics has been the source of many ‘jobs’ handily dished out behind the dumpster at Loosey’s Pump and Dump, The Skankiest Truck Stop on the Planet™!

5th/77th FA

From what I understand, a certain Be Nasty wanna be lawer and pile it is STILL gagging maggots and worms that are feasting on his putridness and he is STILL maintaining a minus 6 feet AGL. WTF(OVER)

Hack Stone

Daniel Bernath; Maintaining six feet social distancing since January 2018.

Has anyone heard from Dallas Wittgenfeld lately? It’s been a few years since the last time he messaged Hack, that beingvwhen he thought that he unmasked Hack as a German immigrant who runs a film company in Baltimore.

And then, there was the Facebook friend request from Joe Cryer that Hack declined. Hack feels guilty about declining that request, since he could have advised the Chunkendale dancer that you should not kill man’s best friend.

HMCS(FMF) ret

Don’t be forgetting about the phony peeHdee Heavy Chevy and Colt Bullot!

A Proud Infidel®™

Let’s not forget that he’s also a reject Apprentice Towel Boy at Brucie’s Bath House (Entrance in the Rear).

Thunderstixx

Subscribe to these guys, it’s “The Onion” for the real world !!!
It’s cheap, hilarious and always right on the money !!!
And with the fall of the “Grey Lady”, they have become America’s Newspaper of Record !!!
https://babylonbee.com/news/florida-ruled-to-be-in-violation-of-science-for-not-having-more-people-die

Graybeard

And when I share something of theirs on the Book of Face someone frequently asks me if either it is true, or if I know they are satire.

>sigh<

Dennis - not chevy

I need to scream. I have a worthless relative who received an entry level discharge and hasn’t held a steady job in 40 years. He claims PTSD; I guess he caught it flunking out of AIT during the Carter Administration.
He, and all of his worthless friends, say it’s President Trump’s fault. He just sent me a message saying President Trump is to blame for all problems.
All of this, and yet, he collects his disability with a smile.
Thank you for allowing me to vent.

26Limabeans

I can just hear Wilted Willy saying “hold my beer”.

Dennis - not chevy

Add in: he had his criminal record expunged so he could enlist; got charged with a crime right after his entry level discharge; (of course) he was guilty but it wasn’t his fault. His room temperature IQ is the opposite of what he thinks he brings to any discussion.
Total all of that and I’d say you hit center mass.

11B-Mailclerk

Sounds like a natural Democrat, Progressive high-achiever, and impending genius award recipient.

Dennis - not chevy

He is the sort for which the Democrats want to restore voting rights.

26Limabeans

National Maritime Day?
Kudos to all who sail the seas be it comercial
or military. Ok, I’ll include plaeasure craft but
I don’t see the pleasure. Especially when you lose site
of dry land. My seafaring days were on the ferry from
Woods Hole to Marthas Vineyard and I threw up.

Go ARMY! Especially the Signal Corps. We don’t have boats
but we did invent aviation….

Oh, and congrats to the King of Battle.

Berliner

F*ck That: An Honest Meditation

The Other Whitey

While the Catholic Church’s national and international leadership have been abandoning their duty as appointed by God and rolling over as religious freedoms (among others) are violated in the name of Chinese Bat Flu prevention—no surprise, with that two-faced commie-sympathizing sleeper-agent shitbird Bergoglio occupying St. Peter’s office—a tremendous number of Catholics are not on board with it. There’s lots of priests at the parish level calling out their bishops on this bullshit.

My Dad sent me this video of one such priest in La Crosse, Wisconsin who let everyone know what he really thinks in this homily, nailing some sore subjects along the way.

https://youtu.be/TqbLPmfdviY

Just as Americans need to take back our country, so do Catholics need to take back our Church.

Roh-Dog

When called on the carpet by Chucky V at the Diet of Worms, Martin Luther defended his ‘heretical’ writings by basically telling the Indulgence-peddling racket that was The Church to eat it:
Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen. -Luther

He was right then, and he is really right now. Open the doors! OPEN ALL THE DOORS!!!

David

The Catholic Church of today has about the same relationship with early Christianity as our current government has to the original Constitutional Republic.

Graybeard

I agree.

We are blessed to have a local church that is predominantly composed of those who do read their Bible often, and seek to be what God has called them to be.

Not that some of us (like Y’rs Truly) don’t still have a ways to go on the road to being Christ-like, but that’s to be expected as well.

Many denominations, however, are more interested in what the latest popular author says than in what God says.

rgr1480

I sure miss Papa Benedict! His Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum” was a true gift!

CavScoutCoastie

Here’s to all sailors, even the Coast Guard. Why does the Coast Guard have a minimum height requirement? So they can walk to shore if their ship sinks. Thank you. I’ll be here all week.

Combat Historian

Breaking news: FBI Director Wray has ordered an internal review of FBI’s procedures and conduct during the Michael Flynn investigation. Since this will be an internal review, it will probably be an overall whitewash with recommendations for minor corrections and changes around the fringes to make it look like oboobiefeebie made due diligence on this matter. There needs to be an independent outside investigation of oboobiefeebie NOW!

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2020/05/22/breaking-fbi-says-theyre-looking-into-misconduct-in-flynn-case-n2569326

Hack Stone

So using the phrase “Wuhan Virus” is racist, but the are cool with Kawasaki Syndrome. Does Hack have that right?

26Limabeans

“Stockholm Syndrome”

26Limabeans

“German Measles”

A Proud Infidel®™

HEY, it prefers to be called “Rubella American”!!!

26Limabeans

“Vietnamese Shits”

Combat Historian

Montezuma’s Revenge…

Combat Historian

And how can we forget the Baghdad Crud; I contracted that shit three times during my tour there…

Roh-Dog

Zaire, Sudan and RESTON Ebola. That last one may look a little ‘western’ sounding BECAUSE it was first isolated in Reston, VA.
Ergo, Wuhan Virus.
It’s been said but bears repeating, and screaming from the mountain tops, the MSM/Leftie cabal are anti-science and sycophantic, bootlicking sinophiles.

rgr1480

Hong Kong flu.

Spanish flu.

French pox. (^_^)

marinedad61

Here comes the summer…….
Cheap Trick – May 2018

A Proud Infidel®™

Eleventyeth and Honorary First once again.

((((OVER))))

A Proud Infidel®™

WILL THOSE IDIOT “Bicyclists” who always bawl “Share the Road” while riding their $2000+ bicycles while wearing spandex outfits that they likely paid $300+ a pop for ever exhibit some damned responsibility? I just got back from running a lengthy errand, part of which was on a skinny 2-lane highway with a 60 MPH speed limit where I came around a curve and damned near creamed a group of those asswipe idiots. Had there been oncoming traffic in the other lane I would have had to make a choice between either plastering a chunk of their group or going into a head-on collision, but yet they HAVE to put themselves into the center of everyone’s attention and I have the same amount of respect for them as I do for Comrade Seagull! Now, IMHO if they were to RIDE RESPONSIBLY, that group of close to 20 “Spandexers” would ride single file as far to the right as possible, but to quote the late John Belushi “BUT NOOOOOooo”, they JUST HAD to ride at least four deep side by side right in the path of traffic, a big FUCK YOU to ALL “Spandexers” who do that!

Dennis - not chevy

And whyzzit they always have to take their “look at me, I’m being green” rides at the same time as the afternoon commute?

A Proud Infidel®™

They were out there “prima donna-ing” during morning commute time, the IDIOTS! There ARE plenty of bicycle trails as well as routes with little traffic, plenty of abandoned railroad rights of way that have been turned into trails for the precious little granola-munchers, but no, the JUST HAVE to parade in front of everyone like the candyassed prissy prima donnas that truly are, May their spandex crawl up their asses and give them hemorrhoids from hell!

SFC D

If your kid rode like these arrogant pricks, you’d paddle their asses severely and take their bike away.

A Proud Infidel®™️

Absolutely, if I or one of my Neighbors caught my boy riding in front of traffic on his bicycle I WOULD tan his hide and take his bike away, those spandex- wearing idiots were riding in the middle of the traffic lane on a two lane highway with a 60 MPH speed limit, “Share the Road”, MY ASS!

A Proud Infidel®™

I HAVE ALSO discovered something about myself, and I thought I’d share it here first on TAH. –

My favorite quarantine snack is BOURBON.

26Limabeans

Knobs Creek?

A Proud Infidel®™️

I found that I like Evan Williams, Knobs Creek for special occasions.

Cameron
11B-Mailclerk

the Blue Queen rules Wonderland!

Cameron

Game on.

Combat Historian

The game was over as soon as the brits handed over HK in 1997 and physically departed. The chicoms would only follow the autonomy timeline if it was of advantage to PRC, and the chicoms have now made the calculation that it is not, so HK autonomy will have to be crushed, and whatever financial losses in losing HK as an international business hub will be chalked up by the chicommies as acceptable collateral damage. This is one game Trump cannot win. Best to go all-in on supporting Taiwan instead…

11B-Mailclerk

The ChiComs have been at war with us since 1949.

The corruption that is Communism requires an enemy to explain all the inevitable failures.

Also, it requires corrupting itself to function, because the only thing less functional than kleptocrat/corrupt communism is pure/true/doctrinaire communism.

Combat Historian

Time for America to wake up from its 45-year stupor and realize that the chicoms have never stopped being at war with us. If the chicom pandemic won’t wake up America, then I’m afraid nothing will…

Ex-PH2

So you see this as another episode of ‘what happened in Tiannannmen Square’? That was bad enough.

Can’t imagine anyone really wanting to go to China anyway.

11B-Mailclerk

They treat some of their useful idiots quite well.

A Proud Infidel®™️

But as soon as they’re no longer deemed useful…

marinedad61

Poor poor poor JASON LEE MERRICK.
2 MONTHS sitting on top of the stack at MP.
Steel Panther he’s NOT.