Has WWIII already started?

Very in-depth and thoughtful post at E.M. Smith's place.  The comments are thoughtful, too.

For the life of me, I can't see what compelling interest the USA has in war with Russia.  I can see what the US Military Industrial Complex has with a war like that.  And as they say, "War is the health of the State". 

But I don't see what's in it for us.

UPDATE 31 January 2023 11:18: Chuck Pergiel has a related and very interesting post about who the chief clowns running US foreign policy are.

Update 31 January 2023 15:35 : Link corrected

Memento Mori

An ancient roman toddler walked over a clay tile before the clay had dried.

Bet he got chewed out over that.

 

Monday Memes

 What, too soon on that last one?

A note to the NFL

You may think that we've forgotten how you let everyone take a knee during the National Anthem.

 We haven't.  Not watching your dumb sportsball, you un-American jerks.

Frederick Delius - Florida Suite

Today is the birthday of English composer Frederick Delius, who lived in the American South when he was young and picked up a sense of "American Themes: during that time.  If you like Greig or Wagner, you'll like this.

His Florida Suite hearkens back to his days managing an orange plantation in, well, Florida. 

Rest in Peace, Gerhard van der Leun

He was a thoughtful and thought provoking man.  Something he wrote triggered a post here once, and he was quite gracious in the comment he left.  Rest in peace and rise in Glory.

Ave atque vale.

Hope for the younger generation

John Wilder has a very thought provoking post.  It's long bit highly, highly recommended.  He ends what would be a depressing post with, well, hope.  Stuff like this:

Amen, John.  Amen.  I have some of that here.

Please, no Black Pill comments.

Thank you, everyone

Thank you everyone who left a comment, or sent an email about Wolfgang.  And a special shout-out to Big Country who called to cheer me up.  As you can imagine I've been fairly wrung out, but thanks, bro.

The Queen Of The World and I are determined not to let him suffer.  He's not at that point yet (thank goodness) and so we're focusing on pain management and quality of life.

But many thanks, everybody. 

The Wolfgang Chronicles - III

"If you think this is the time, I'll support that decision."

His vet said that today.  Crap.

I took this picture seven years ago today, when we got three feet of snow in Maryland.  He made a trail through the snow for The Queen Of The World, and loved every minute.

Today when the vet said those words, TQOTW cried.  She's not ready for this.  I'm not ready for this.  How could you be?

Wolfgang's back legs get tangled up when he walks.  Sometimes he falls.  It's hard for him to stand up a lot of the time.  But his mind is clear, and he wants to play with his doggie friends.  The other day at the local dog park when one of his friends was chasing a ball, I didn't let him play chase.  He has always loved that.  But I knew it would make him hurt for days.  So I held his collar and didn't let him run.

He cried.  That about killed me.

Today at the vet I realized that it's not that we won't have him for years (heck, y'all might not have me for that).  But we might not have him for months, or maybe weeks.

I'm not ready for this.  I know what's coming, and what's approaching.  We won't let him suffer.  But this is too soon, too soon, too damn soon.

"If you think this is the time, I'll support that decision."

Font Follow-up

 

Go for a stroll underneath a battleship

Dwight visits the dry-docked USS Texas.  He also buys a souvenir bit of USS Texas steel.  Somewhere, #2 Son has some souvenir deck teak from the USS North Carolina.

Rest In Peace, CWO John Torr

I hadn't known that he came back from Vietnam with a Bronze Star.  

The service reminded me of Dad's, and made me think of the Honor Guard in Santa Fe.  Unlike at my Father-in-Law's burial in Arlington, the Honor Guard yesterday didn't need to be asked to police up the brass to give to the family.  They were very thoughtful, performing a hard duty.  I wrote this after Dad's service, and thought about it a lot yesterday.

Honor Guard

The Veteran's Cemetery in Santa Fe is beautiful, with well-kept grounds and a spectacular view of the mountains.  The Veterans' Affairs staff there is helpful beyond belief.  But most impressive of all was the Honor Guard.

This must be a tough duty, spending all day, every day welcoming home fallen veterans.  It must take a special sort of personality to be continually surrounded by grieving families, and to take that grief as an inspiration to perfect the ceremony.  The respect they showed - especially to Mom - was very moving.

It's strange, but after months leading up to Dad's death, and three weeks now to process the emotions, that I wasn't ready for the emotions that washed over me when the guard slow-saluted Mom, and then knelt down to present her the flag.

This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service.

The Honor Guard has a hard duty, and one that may seem unimportant.  After all, it's just one more old man leaving his grieving family behind.  The kindness and respect they devoted speaks volumes of them, and the Republic.

This is the final test of a gentleman: his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.

- William Lyon Phelps

A thought for today

I'm off to the funeral.  This is a meditation for those of us left behind.

 

All The Problems Must Be Solved

The U.S. State Department has taken the time to ban the use of the Times New Roman font in all official communication.

Henceforth all communication will be in Calibri. All units have until February 6th, 2023 to be in compliance.

 Here at Borepatch we will be experimenting with fonts until we find one that no one likes.

 Maybe something that looks like cursive? 

 

 

 

Gabriel Fauré - Requiem in D Minor

A friend called a couple days ago to say that his father had died unexpectedly.  The funeral is tomorrow and since it's on Florida's west coast I will be able to be there.  It's a shame that we sometimes don't see people close to us until a funeral brings us together.

My father didn't die suddenly which gave me a chance to visit him often during his last year.  More than a decade later, I don't feel like anything that needed to be said wasn't said.  My friend didn't get that same blessing.

Memento mori, remember that you too are mortal.  If you have something unsaid that needs to be said to someone close, embrace the fierce urgency of now.

Your thought for the day

 

Only A Little Will Last

A 3D printed gun design gets past European regulations

That toothpaste isn't going back in the tube:

The FGC-9 stands out from previous 3D-printed firearms designs, in part because it was specifically designed to circumvent European gun regulations:

Thus, unlike its predecessors, the FGC-9 does not require the use of any commercially produced firearm parts. Instead, it can be produced using only unregulated commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. For example, instead of an industrially produced firearms barrel, the FGC-9 uses a piece of a pre-hardened 16 mm O.D. hydraulic tubing.

 

The Wolfgang Chronicles - II

 

Wolfgang says hi to the cows.  Up north at Castle Borepatch there were deer for him to talk to.  Here in Florida he has to be satisfied with Bessie.

On a sad note, Glen Filthie has lost his dog.

Dad Joke CCXXXXIII

Four men are on a boat.  They have five cigarettes but nothing to light them with.

They throw one cigarette overboard and the boat becomes a cigarette lighter.