Damn Texans

Think Texans aren’t a plague on Colorado?

http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2017/mar/29/craig-police-using-loud-noises-evenings-discourage/

Think again.

Happens every year. Almost as irritating as Californians.  Almost.

F^*k Obama's Legacy

The elitist’s war on rural America continues as the entrenched civil service continues fighting to preserve the ‘Obama Legacy’, IMO. Being a Colorado resident, this post will be Mountain West centric.

The three main agencies grinding down rural America are the EPA, the BLM, and the USFS.

Many people are aware of the EPA’s war on coal. Fewer are aware of the EPA’s war on water, the Waters of the United States rule.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/epa-waterways-wetlands-rule-118319

There was a lot of hollering about a small rancher near Gillette, WY being attacked over a small stock pond on his property. A sideshow and smoke screen.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/10/wyoming-welder-facing-16m-in-fines-beats-epa-in-battle-over-stock-pond.html

The single most precious commodity in the West is water. Water rights protect all agriculture operations and municipal water sources. What the Waters of the United States “rule” does is give the Federal Government a back door way to control all water rights. How long before allocating “for the common good” follows? Supercede all those pesky State's rights. Visualize the "pay to play" opportunities.

A hoary old Colorado saying, “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting” may be more than an amusing phrase if the government starts messing with water rights.

Stock growers depend on public land grazing for their livelihood. They pay some steep fees for the privilege.  The practice is always under attack.

http://freerangereport.com/index.php/2017/03/24/blm-proposal-to-cut-colorado-grazing-allotments-in-half/

Much the same goes for the US Forest service.

http://www.capitalpress.com/article/20170324/ARTICLE/170329906

The Colorado Rockies have a maze of old railroad grades and mining roads that have been used for decades for back country recreation. The USFS is systematically closing them down to anything but foot traffic. Why, because they can get away with it. 

Means they need fewer ‘boots on the ground’ rangers freeing money for more REMFs. Also pleases the tree huggers. 

Speaking of trees, in the 1950’s Engelmann spruce trees were killed off by Japanese beetles. In the past twenty years or so much of the lodgepole pines have been killed by native beetles. The USFS has done little to mitigate the problem or allowing logging of the dead trees. Surprise, wildfires have become a huge problem.

In areas not burned, the spruce trees are staging a comeback in the midst of the dead lodgepole. Will we have another spruce beetle crisis?

Will we ever see an end to stock growers, loggers, ORV operators, and other recreationists behaving badly? Of course not. That is why we will always need some type of policing. Will we ever see an end to police overstepping their boundaries? Again, of course not. What we do have are policies and procedures that work, even imperfectly.

Reforms? Interesting proposal from Senator Cory Gardner (R) CO.

https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-rejects-washingtons-one-size-fits-all-approach-to-land-management

As stated, this posting is Mountain West centric. Anywhere around the West you will find the Obama legacy over reach. John Day, OR. The Bundy Ranch. The Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. 

And the list goes on.

So far President Trump seems to be forming a cabinet of adults. Given his business background, he will likely let them do their jobs as opposed to the last eight years. Other than Eric Holder, and maybe Shillary, the Obama Cabinet were figureheads following orders from unelected and unvetted West Wing staffers,  IMO.

Yea For The Internet

Check EGR light came on in my old beater truck at the same time the bi-annual emissions check to renew the tabs came due.

Wonderful! Pay some shop $80 an hour plus parts to deal with it. How many current techs know anything about an obscure 1986 Japanese vehicle?

Started searching online. Seems my truck has the light come on at intervals based on mileage to remind you to check the EGR valve and Oxygen sensor for proper function. The light is reset by flicking a switch on the back of the instrument cluster next to the speedometer cable.

Drove down to a slender, and younger, friend’s house. A few minutes later, with the aid of a flashlight, he found the switch. Repositioned it and the light is out.

Did I check the EGR valve and replace the Oxygen sensor? Get real.

Next step is a new air filter, fuel treatment, oil change, long drive on the highway, and then to the Emissions station. Did the same thing the last time.

Loath the whole emissions ripoff.  The placed is staffed by TSA rejects, but with wannabe cop attitudes. Forced to watch through the windows as some half assed jerk revs my truck’s motor with a moronic grin on his face doesn’t make my day.

Once again access to the internet has saved me time, money and aggravation. Yea!

Big Ones

Navy pilots  had tough jobs that I never gave a thought to, float operations off ships, until I saw a clip on Kenny Kemp’s Facebook group WWII in the Pacific.

https://www.facebook.com/239233269867787/videos/268595446931569/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wwiipacific/

That started some looking on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObsHmDgvMak

That recovery looks to be a hairy combination of flying skill and boat handling.

The internet is seductive. Once you start, when does it end?

http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/57k1.htm

My conclusion? Those crews had big ones!

Crazy Like A Fox?

All government employees are lazy, venal, and determined to keep their perks and privileges, correct? Perhaps President Trump doesn’t agree.

Warning: WSF is off on another rant. You may want to just move on.

Many folks, me included, forget most civil servants are patriots serving their country and fellow citizens. They see the waste, the stifling policies and procedures, the multitude of better and more efficient ways to do things, and live with the frustrations of working with, and for, useless hacks who can’t be fired. They may go along by keeping their opinions to themselves because they want to keep their jobs. Doesn’t mean they like it.

Their situation reminds me of some advice my father once gave me.

“Son, in this life you will eat shit sandwiches. You will do it because you have to. The important things is not to develop a taste for them”.

President Trump is firing off letters to agencies seeking their input on where cuts can be made. The AMM (American Mainstream Maggots – h/t BZ) who are rabidly anti-Trump spin their fake news narratives as to this being an attack. Maybe not.

Perhaps President Trump recognizes government employees are, first and foremost, citizens and constitutions. Their vested interest isn’t just their jobs. They are as concerned as anyone about the country’s future and the world their children and grandchildren will inherit.  The President wants them to have a voice, a say, and not just shove decisions down their throats.

What better way for weakening the ‘Deep State’ than helping the ‘stakeholders’  get a chance to reform their own work places? By creating situations where they can make their work useful and productive? I see the businessman doing what he knows work. YMMV

Our massive ship of state won’t change course in weeks or even months. But, like a ship, it will eventually respond to rudder inputs IMO.  

Western Airlines - The Only Way To Fly

A nifty airline that didn’t survive deregulation. Was merged with Delta.  Gave me a ride I’ll never forget.

1970’s, Salt Lake City to Denver (Stapleton) on a 727-200. Hot summer day in both SLC and Denver. We were an hour late leaving SLC while the mechanics worked on #3. My seat was in the extreme rear, aisle, starboard side where I could smoke.

Right about the Meeker VOR, the pilots shut down #3.

( I knew the area well as the Meeker VOR was the closest to where I learned to fly. I took my  Private check ride in Meeker)

No problem, we still had two, correct? Coming into Stapleton I was mildly worried because we were using 26L which was unusual. Between Colorado Boulevard and Syracuse Avenue, the crew shut down #2 (centerline) and went full power on the remaining engine. One engine at a density altitude of around 10,000’ ain’t keeping a fully loaded 727-200 in anything but a controlled descent.

We landed in the pea gravel just short of the runway. The noise was very loud. When we hit the end of the runway we bounced abruptly then came down hard.

After that it was just a taxi into the terminal.

In the final minute of the approach, I had bent over and wrapped my hands around my knees. To my rear I could see one of the cabin attendants in the exit door jump seat doing the same.

Two days later flew Western back to SLC. Hey, shit happens, and any one you can walk away from……..

One other unpleasant  Western memory. Before overhead enclosed bins most airliners had open shelving. Only soft goods were allowed. We were boarding and I put my heavy briefcase on the shelf (knowing it had to go under the seat in front of me) and sat down in my aisle seat so others around me could get settled in.  The cabin attendant came by and said heatedly,

“That has to go under the seat,”  

as she dropped it from head height directly on my crotch. Guess she was having a bad day. Probably didn’t get better. When I got off the plane in Denver I went directly to the station manager, who I knew personally, and had a wee chat with him.

I always liked Western and, with these two exceptions, had generally good experiences. Hate to be negative but my best experience with Delta is one notch above mediocre. 

Doubling Down On Dumb

The Colorado GOP is dominated by Jeb! types. Last Senate primary their favored candidates lost to a young dynamic black man. The Democrat incumbent had to be the most vulnerable senator in the country but won because the GOP sat on their hands.

Just to prove Donkeys can be more obtuse than Elephants, former State Senator Morgan Carroll is voted in as the state party chair.

An ambulance chaser by profession, she was the Senate President when the Dems had control. Rabidly anti-gun, her idea of bi-partnership was allowing the Republicans to take their seats.

Last election she took on Representative Mike Coffman (R) Colorado 4^th and got her ass handed to her. She ran a campaign that was even worse than her idol, Shillary.

Found an excellent report on the Dem’s meeting.

https://www.coloradostatesman.com/colorado-democrats-elect-morgan-carroll-state-party-chair/

One of her statements tickled my gag reflex.

Carroll said it was crucial to make sure everyone felt welcome in the party and vowed to institute what she called a 64-county strategy.

Since the most hardcore Blue Dog Democratic county in the state, Pueblo, went for President Trump, good luck with that.

OK, with the GOP in the hands of the Jeb!s, and the Dems in the hands of the (P)regressives, my conclusion is we residents are fucked. YMMV

Temptation

Assembling ingredients for a bean dish. Baked the excess fat out of a half package of bacon ends and pieces. So hard not to just eat the bacon. Must resist the temptation.

Cooking is something where I'm proficient. Years of being a bachelor helps but my mother taught me as a teen. My dishes tend to be simple ranch fare.

This crock pot meal will be pre-soaked beans drained, chicken broth, minced fresh garlic, chopped onion, and a dash of ginger (helps with the gas aftermath).
A small can of diced tomatoes and green chiles may be added.

Measurements? What are these measurements you speak of?

Walden, CO Museum

A small museum honoring the early residents of the North Park region (Jackson County) Colorado. These donated firearms were used to put food on the table and shoot varmints. Probably have little monetary value, being well used, but I appreciated them for being well used tools.

My maternal grandmother was a Latham, one of the early settlers. Many relatives are buried in the Southeast corner of the Walden Cemetery.  

Nearly every small city has a museum. If you have the time, you can see real tools used by real people.

A few pictures from the far South end of the park.

Scofflaw

After action report on, Officer Dickhead meets Citizen Hothead.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5926528617816553064#editor/target=post;postID=5532716768552878370;onPublishedMenu=reading;onClosedMenu=reading;postNum=34;src=postname

I mentioned in that post I intended to torture them before they got my money. We settled last Friday. My file had some twenty pages.

The rationale for traffic citations is to change the scofflaw’s driving habits and attitude. That may be true for some officers, they being the ones who deal with the physical carnage, but for the courts it is all about revenue. Example. In Weld County, CO should you be ordered by the courts to perform xxxxx hours of “useful public service”, you can take the hours times the prevailing minimum wage, write a check, and walk away. (Yes, I know because I’ve done it – thirty over reduced to driving faster than road conditions,  and many, many benjis)

My torture program, over time, involved three city attorneys, a judge and recorder, several clerks and summons to court for the officers involved. Yes, I know the officers get paid. Yes, I know that involves scheduling problems. Since I settled the matter four days before the court date my bet is the clerks didn’t notify the officers in a timely manner and they will show up tomorrow.  

Remember I said it was all about revenue? My original fine went from $155 to $172. Points against my license went from four to two.

I may not have the negotiating skills of an attorney. Several decades of sales and the car biz left me with some. Along with those, I’m seldom intimidated.

Very well WSF you are saying. What about all the time you spent? Hell, I’m semi retired. Time spent doing this kept me out of  bars.

Towergate

The press is  all atwitterpaper about President Trump’s revelation of bugging his Trump Tower offices leading up to the election. Nearly every story includes, “Without offering any proof”.

Do they really believe he is so stupid and impulsive to make that serious a charge without being able to prove it? The proof will come at the time that suits him IMO.

They just don’t get it. He isn’t going to sit back and let the Deep State try for a coup d’état or Obama set up a “shadow” government.

The United States has developed traditions over the course of 240+ years that has served to keep our government functioning. The (P)regressives, with Obama in the lead, spent the last eight years shitting on those traditions. They evidently don’t see President Trump’s election as the voters pushing back. In their arrogance they think they are above those traditions.

He has shown he has an attack dog facet. Per several news sources outside the MSM his staff got a taste recently. So, what can he do?

George Soros (and son). Several international arrest warrants are out for them in several countries we have treaties with.  Pick them up, stuff them in a Gulfstream, and drop them off in, say, Bulgaria. Any legal reason that can’t happen?

Leakers. Pull their security clearances. Check their computers for porn. Audit their expense reports.

Journalists. There must be some that are also spies for foreign governments.

Tax Cheats. Al Sharpton, et al. Prosecute them. Show there is no “special class with special privileges”.

Much more knowledgeable people than me can expand these ideas into whole books.

President Trump has positions I don’t agree with. That said, his drive to clean house has my complete support, for what that is worth.

ADDENDUM: BZ has a much better written and researched report on this matter. Please check him out.

http://bloviatingzeppelin.net/source-obama-white-house-did-have-trump-campaign-wiretapped/

Not Fun

This week has seen high winds along I-25 and I-80 in Wyoming to the point the highways have been closed. We are talking winds gusting in the 90 mph range. The sky may be clear but the visibility can drop to zero instantly in blowing snow.

Normally we drive North on I-25 at 0darkthirty. Wednesday I ran the route backwards so as to drive I-25 in the daylight.

Today the other route driver did the same. Makes for another 70 miles and fighting roads and wind, a very long day. The tow truck drivers are doing well. They earn every penny.

 On another topic, there is a saying, "The front door was locked for your protection, not mine"

At my son's house.



In reality the daughter in law is very proficient with firearms, enjoys shooting, and is a better shot than any of us. They have taken strong measures to safely keep what they have safe and far away from unauthorized hands while having a "plan" to insure the family's safety and long term survival.