Tuesday, March 25, 2025
More than $100 million at stake for Wyoming in Trump’s fed grants freeze
More than $100 million at stake for Wyoming in Trump’s fed grants freeze: The freeze, and legal chaos surrounding it, jeopardize much-needed investments that state lawmakers have not prioritized, advocates say.
M151 Jeeps. National Museum of Military Vehicles.
The M151 "Mutt" entered service in 1959 and carried on into the 1990s. It had fantastic off road capabilities, and was also fantastically dangerous, given its independent wheel suspension system.
The last Jeep to see general use in the U.S. military, it was replaced by HumVeh's, although speciality vehicles, and even modern commercial Jeeps, continue to see some use. In these examples, the radio mount for a period radio is displayed.
I personally have a lot of experience from the 1980s, with both the M151, and this model of military radio.
Last edition:
M32 Tank Retriever, National Museum of Military Vehicles.
Tuesday, March 25, 1975. A murdered king and evacuations.
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot and killed by his nephew, Prince Faisal bin Musaid.
The motivation for the murder by the US educated prince has never been determined.
The Tin-Ngai Campaign ended with NVA/VC forces in full control of Quảng Tin and Quảng Ngai Provinces. Da Nang as the only major city in I Corps still held by the South Vietnamese and it was effectively surrounded.
The U.S Air Force organized an airlift to evacuate 10,000 people a day from Da Nang,
Hué's remaining defenders were evacuated by sea.
All of the events above I can recall, particularly the events surrounding the disaster at Da Nang.
The day prior, the ARVN had successfully held an NVA armored attack back at Chơn Thành Camp, destroying 7 T-54s with antitank rockets, recoilless rifles and RVNAF airstrikes.
Linda Ronstadt released her cover of the Everly Brothers' 1960 song "When Will I Be Loved".
Last edition:
Monday, March 24, 1975. Huế falls to the NVA.
Labels: actors and actresses, Beavers, boxing, Campaign 275, Canada, Huế Vietnam, South Vietnam, Sports, Vietnam, Vietnam War
M32 Tank Retriever, National Museum of Military Vehicles.
This is a M32 tank retriever, which is obviously based on the M4 Sherman chassis. These were used by the U.S. Army starting in World War Two, although a tank retriever based on the Lee/Grant chassis was also used.
These remained in use during the Korean War and into the 1960s when it was replaced by the M88.
Last edition:
M24 Chaffee, National Museum of Military Vehicles.Labels: 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Armor, Army, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Korean War, National Museum of Military Vehicles, Vietnam War, Weapons, World War Two, Wyoming (Dubois)
Sunday, March 25, 1945. Crossing the Rhine.
The Battle of Remagen ended in a US victory.
The Red Army began the Bratislava–Brno Offensive.
Winston Churchill, accompanied by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, crossed the Rhine near Wesel in an Allied landing craft.
The trip was legitimately dangerous.
Allied forces began to cross or advance from the Rine nearly everywhere.
" Left to right: Pvt. Ray Pennington, Princetown, W.Va., Pfc. Emory Neill, Griffith, Ga., and Pfc. Howard J. Stringer, Columbia, Miss., set up their machine gun to watch and harass the Nazi movements on the other side of the Rhine near Oberwesel, Germany. All men are with 76th Infantry Division, 3rd U.S. Army. 25 March, 1945. 76th Infantry Division. Photographer: Tec 5 A.H. Herz, 166th Signal Photo Co."
"3rd U.S. Army infantrymen load onto tank destroyer in Konigstadien, Germany, as they drive deeper into Germany. 25 March, 1945. Company I, 3rd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division. Photographer: T/5 Schneider, 166th Signal Photo Co."
Today in World War II History—March 25, 1940 & 1945: 80 Years Ago—Mar. 25, 1945: US Seventh Army crosses the Rhine at Worms. US Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy flies its last strategic bombing mission of WWII.
Aachen's post Nazi mayor Franz Oppenhoff, age 42, was assassinated by the SS.
Task Force 58 conducted air raids on Okinawa.
Marine Corps Maj. Gen. William H. Rupertus, age 55, died of a heart attack. He was the author of the Rifleman's Creed;
Rifleman's Creed
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will ...
My rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit ...
My rifle is human, even as I [am human], because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will ...
Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!
Last edition:
Wednesday, March 25, 1925. Flannery O'Connor born.
Southern Gothic and Catholic novelist Flannery O'Connor was born in Savannah Georgia.
Last edition:
Saturday, March 21, 1925.
Thursday, March 25, 1915. Loss of the F-4.
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The US submarine USS F-4 sank off of Hawaii with the loss of all 21 hands. It was the U.S. Navy's first submarine loss, discounting of course the CSS H. L. Hunley, the Confederate submarine.
The SS Tamar was sunk by the SMS Kronprinz off of Brazil.
Last edition:
Tuesday, March 23, 1915. Advances at Hartmannswillerkopf.
Sunday, March 25, 1900. Socialist Party founded in United States.
Delegates from the Social Democratic Party and the Socialist Labor Party founded a Socialist Party in the US.
The party would prove to be a significant one up until World War One, and then it would decline thereafter, although it still exists.
Last edition:
Saturday, March 24, 1900. No smoking.
Wars and Rumors of War, 2025. Part 2. The world is not a development opportunity edition.
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Matthew, Chapter 24.
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
Winston Churchill
Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.
Donald Trump on skipping the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery.
March 2, 2025
Turkey v. Kurds
Following an opening from Turkey's strongman ruler Erdogan, the PKK is suspending armed operations.
US Mexican Border
The US is deploying an additional 3,000 troops to the Mexican border.
March 3, 2025
Russo Ukrainian War
Hegseth Orders Pentagon to Stop Offensive Cyberoperations Against Russia
Absolutely stupid.
US v. Al Qaeda
On Feb. 23, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria, targeting and killing Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, the senior military leader of the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate.
US Central Command.
March 4, 2025
Russo Ukrainian War
The US suspended military aid to Ukraine. Europe began immediately to fill in and J. D. Vance warned, based on nothing at all, that only Trump could negotiate peace.
More likely, this accelerates the eclipse of the United States.
March 6, 2025
Russo Ukrainian War
The Trump Cabal cut off intelligence access to Ukraine. Shortly after this, Russia hit Kyiv with ballistic missiles.
March 8, 2025
Russo Ukrainian War
When his country called, Donald Trump called up his doctor who found that he ineligible to go into harms way due to shin splints.
Like a lot of the 1960s "not me" crowd, to include Dick Cheney and Joe Biden, this hasn't meant, in the case of Donald Trump, that he doesn't mind ordering killing done. Trump's taken into almost new territory, however, by withdrawing intelligence from an ally dependent up on us while his political party, which once stalwartly opposed foreign aggression by countries like Russia and North Korea, largely stands by.
The United States now has blood on its hands, and through betrayal:
US intel ban leads to heavy Ukrainian losses
A lot of people who admire Trump believe he has a big business head and that he's bring this to politics. Why this is a good thing is never actually mentioned. Government isn't a business. Beyond that, is Trump really a good businessman? We have very little evidence that the is. What we have evidence that he was born very wealthy and its well known that those born into great wealth are highly unlikely to lose it all. Very wealthy families that do lose everything usually do so in the course of a couple of generations. It takes that long to dissipate the wealth. My guess is that this is happening to the Trump fortune right now. Big fortunes are lost through classic means, spending on largess and women usually. My guess is that for those who are looking at the trump's fifty to seventy five years hence, you'll find that they're still rich, but not vastly so, and probably working mundane rich people's jobs.
Anyhow, one of the big myths about Trump is that he's a great negotiator . What he is, is a bully. Since returning to the Oval Office he's applied his bully skills to numerous things and its really start to fail. The tariffs are a good example. Canada has now reached the complete "fuck you" stage with Trump and he can't do one single thing about it. Probably by summer the Mid West will have rolling blackouts due to an electrical blackout. The dimwit Trump has promised to get the XL pipeline rolling again and build one extending all the way to Alaska. My prediction is that the XL if completed under Trump will be filled with air as it was supposed to transport Canadian crude. Donny probably doesn't know that. The Canadians are never going to allow the US to build a pipeline on their soil.
On the war, Ukrainian President Zylensky was brought to the US to surrender title to his country's minerals as an extorted payment for ongoing support. The meeting went famously wrong as J. D. Vance, now with in a hairsbreadth of being President, showed himself way out of his element and engaged in an argument with the embattled Ukrainian leader. Trump, coming to Vance's rescue, once again showed his intellect is really lacking and his verbal skills are that of a child. Since that time, using tactics that he learned as a real estate magnate, he's attempted to bully Ukraine into submission by withholding arms and intelligence to the country.
In blunt terms, he figures that getting Ukrainians killed will make them pliant.
It's monstrously wrong.
And its not even artful.
There's pretty good evidence at this point that the bloom is really off the rose of this administration and that even within the administration itself things are beginning to breakdown. Marco Rubio got into a yelling match with weirdo Elon Musk and actually prevailed. Another cabinet member had to take babbling Trump off the phone and negotiate a deal with Trudeau himself. Trump is slowly on his way out, but how much damage he does on the way out is yet to be seen.
At any rate, somewhere on the far side of things thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are joining the souls of those of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam to lament being betrayed by the United States. But at the same time, the departed spirits of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger can take solace that their betrayal of an ally wasn't the work of a demented toddler.
Here in the US, the hardcore MAGA's are all saying it'll work out, or coming up with reason why betrayal is okay. It won't, and it isn't.
March 13, 2025
Russo Ukrainian War
Russia rejected lil Don's suggestion of a cease fire.
March 16, 2025
Middle Eastern War
The US struck the Houthis yesterday, who vowed retaliation.
March 17, 2025
Middle Eastern War
|
Hegseth Says Campaign Against Houthis Will be
'Unrelenting' Until Hostilities Cease March 17,
2025 | By Matthew Olay During
a media interview yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S.
military will continue to tactically engage Iranian-backed Houthis until they
stop acting aggressively against U.S. ships in the region. Hegseth
commented on the topic following President Donald J. Trump's order for U.S.
Central Command to launch multiple airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen, March
15, 2025. "Freedom
of navigation is basic; it's a core national interest," Hegseth said,
adding that the current campaign is about restoring deterrents in the region
in addition to freedom of navigation. "The
minute the Houthis say, 'We'll stop shooting at your ships [and] we'll stop
shooting at your drones,' this campaign will end but, until then, it will be
unrelenting," he continued. Hegseth
also said the airstrikes were meant to draw Iran's attention. "The
message is clear to Iran … Your support of the Houthis needs to end
immediately. We will hold you accountable as the sponsor of this proxy, and I
echo [the president's] statement [that] we will not be nice about it,"
Hegseth said. The
Houthis have been acting aggressively in the Red Sea region since October
2023, when a U.S. Navy destroyer had to intercept three land-attack cruise
missiles fired by the Houthis toward Israel. Since
then, the Houthis have launched over 100 drone and missile attacks targeting
American and allied ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, resulting in
many commercial ships having to alter their routes to avoid the region at a
tremendous commercial cost. Hegseth
likened the severe economic impact of the Houthi aggression in the region to
"being held hostage by a terrorist organization" and then pointed
out that the Trump administration has indeed labeled the Houthis as
such. "To
the Houthis: [the airstrikes weren't] a one-night thing … This is about
stopping the shooting at assets in that critical waterway to reopen the
freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United
States," Hegseth said, before again reemphasizing that Iran needs to
"back off" from enabling the Houthis. Hegseth
said Iran and its additional military proxies — including Hamas and Hezbollah
— are in a "weakened state." "But
it doesn't mean they still don't have the desire [for aggression]," he
said, adding that Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. "Iran
must get that clear message and negotiate the end of their pursuit for
nuclear weapons because … President Trump has said clearly that they will not
get a bomb," Hegseth said. |
March 19, 2025
Middle Eastern War
Israel is back to bombarding Gaza, so the cease fire did not hold.
Russo Ukrainian War
Putin agreed to an infrastructure ceasefire, which it turned around and immediately violated.
cont:
Israel has launched a new ground invasion into Gaza after breaking ceasefire
March 23, 2025
Middle Eastern War
The rocket and counterstrike feature of this war in Lebanon has returned.
Russo Ukrainian War
Ukraine has hit some major Russian air assets and fuel assets in the last couple of days. Russia had hit Kyiv.
March 24, 2025
The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen.
I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.
This is going to require some explaining.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic.
March 25, 2025
Middle Eastern War
The Trump administration petulantly denied texting war plans to The Atlantic, while insulting the recipient, while it simultaneously became more obvious that in fact it had occurred.
The US hit Houthi targets in Yemen again.
Last edition:
Wars and Rumors of War, 2025. Part 1. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Monday, March 24, 2025
Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist. 78th Edition. We'd like to inform you that terrible things are being done in your name, edition.
The caption comes this week from a letter the publishers of The New Republic wrote to Stalin, when one of their reporters wrote back on atrocities being committed in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s.
Crowd jeers Hageman at tense Laramie town hall. She calls them ‘hysterical.’: Wyoming’s lone congresswoman faced tough questions and angry constituents Wednesday night.
Not just Laramie, but also solidly Republican Rock Springs and Evanston.
Indeed, all over the country, when Republicans show up in their home districts.
Indeed, the event in Evanston was so notable that a populist apologist felt compelled to write an Op Ed for the Cowboy State Daily.
Jonathan Lange: Barbuto’s Miscalculation Released The Flying Monkeys
Lange you may, but probably don't, recognize as Rev. Lange of the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church, who has his own blog, Only Human. He's reliably pro Trump and Pro Populist, which brings up one of the real ironies of populism, which is deeply religious people supporting a movement lead by some wildly irreligious people, as we've discussed elsewhere, so we'll only note that Trump is, in Christian terms, an adulterer living in an adulterous irregular relationship as well as being a serial liar, and Musk is an atheist. Lange came to the attention of some in the state by opposing the successful bill to make child marriage illegal.
But we digress.
What's really notable, is that even here in deep Trump country people are really reacting to DOGE and aren't happy about it.
And that's not all they aren't happy about.
A coal mine near Kemmerer is laying off 28 workers.
Tesla chargers have been vandalized with swastikas in Rock Springs.
In far Western Wyoming coal continues to fail, as it will, as coal's days are over, but that hasn't caused deeply Republican Kemmerer to say "yes, we'll sign up for the deportation frenzy" and take an immigrant concentration camp.
Interesting.
Anyhow, I'll give Hageman credit for simply going to Laramie, where she must have known that she'd encounter real hostility. But her response to a LGBTQ was really wrong headed in a city that's sought to overcome the murder of Matthew Shepard for decades.
She called the crowd "hysterical". They weren't hysterical, they were angry.
So far Hageman hasn't toured north of the Union Pacific, which is interesting. I wonder why, sincerely?
Someone else who is touring is Bernie Sanders, and AoC.
AoC is obviously considering running against the pathetic Chuck Schumer.
Also, in Colorado:
Walking the fine line of ‘all of the above’: Two Republicans from #Colorado add names to letter calling for restraint in gutting of #climate legislation — Allen Best (BigPivots.com) #ActOnClimate
One of the really interesting things that's starting to happen in the Trump world is the same thing that happened in the Socialist left world during the 20s and 30s, that being the belief that the dear leader doesn't know about what the Party is doing. I saw this on Facebook, which is just about as far to the left as Wyomingite's normally go, from somebody who is about as far to the right as possible.
So again, in our home State of Wyoming, the left wing lunacy continues to try to rob Wyoming of more original beauty. My understanding is that the Duncan Ranch was to be used for Agriculture and ag based education only. How is it that these are even being considered?!?! Anyone that knows this area can attest to its beauty yet now, that is threatened. I warned people that the State Lands and BLM would be the next spots for these to be in the crosshairs. Those who have allowed these on their private property have opened the door for them to continue to push for this failed technology. So here it is, they want to build on public ground like it's no big deal. There are already whispers of eminent domain coming into play for the future of these cancers as well. It must stop! There is absolutely nothing green about the agenda they push. Wyoming is Oil, Gas, Coal Agriculture, and Tourism. We are not some waistland where you can just stand your turbines up and collect a check. Our Natural Resources are the reason our State isn't bankrupt like the liberals who surround us. Why are we so worried about pandering to these other states that don't follow or respect our way of life? At one time a few years ago, the Natrona County Commissioners agreed 4 to 1 to allowing all of these turbines just North of Casper at 20 Mile Hill. They did so even tho there was standing room only in the courthouse in opposition. So now, there are windturbines in our back yard. It's sickening. Blinking lights at night as far as you can see. The beautiful sunrise that generations of my family has enjoyed for years is now ruined by towering monstrocies. However, when it came time to vote on those commissioners who's term was up, WE THE PEOPLE replaced them. Now, we have a commission who is strong for the people. The most recent green deal that came before these new commissioners for approval got shot down 3 to 2. They understand Wyoming doesn't want this crap in our back yard.
My point is, whoever is not standing for Wyoming, needs voted out and if we want to protect our Wyoming and our tax dollars, these projects need to be met with lots of opposition by, "We The People".
The Duncan Ranch, which this individual is worried about, justifiably, is not in Natrona County. It's in Converse County, which never saw any kind of industrial project of any kind it didn't like. And the rancher, and that's what he is, who is upset, is justifiably upset, but he's being about as green and distributist as can be, and doesn't know it.
Anyhow, these projects weren't backed by a bunch of raving environmentalist here.
Hydrogen project major wind farm at & near Duncan Ranch, seeks state approval this week
They were backed by major heavy industry. And by the county its in, which has supported every single one of these projects without question. Indeed, the only County Commission which didn't support one was the Natrona County Commission, which actually was largely made up of the same people who had supported the prior ones in the county, in spite of what the Facebook fellow says. I think there's only one new Commissioner.
Trump seems backed by billionaires.
People don't really seem happy with what's actually occurring.
By the way, one of the things that's occurring is that the Trump Administration is going to require you appear in person to apply for Social Security. . . while they're also closing Social Security offices. Rock Spring's office is being closed. Casper's isn't listed, but the entire building is suggested to be sold, which could mean that Casperites would have to probably drive three hours to Cheyenne, or five to Denver.
Not to worry, no billionaire will be harmed by this decision.
Postscript:
From Rep Hageman's newsletter:
Rock Springs Social Security Office Update
Late last week, we began receiving calls from constituents concerned by a media article reporting that the Rock Springs Social Security Office was closing. I immediately reached out to the agency and was able to confirm that the allegation was inaccurate. The agency has canceled the lease for an ancillary hearing room it no longer uses, and those hearings will now be held at an alternative location, but the office itself will remain open. You can read more about the new SSA efficiencies here.
Last edition:
Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist. 77th Edition. A bridge too far?
Monday, March 24, 1975. Huế falls to the NVA.
Huế fell to the NVA, with many of its residents, having endured the horror of NVA and VC occupation during the Tet Offensive, having evacuated the city.
Time's cover featured a ARVN soldier with the caption "How Much Longer?"
Chuck Wepner put in a good performance agains tMuhammad Ali in a fight promoted by Sylvester Stallone.
The beaver became the symbol of Canada.
Last edition:
Sunday, March 23, 1975. Advances in the Central Highlands.
M24 Chaffee, National Museum of Military Vehicles.
Like the M26 Pershing, the M24 Chaffee shows the speed of armor evolution during World War Two. A much more modern light tank than the M3, it remained in service until 1953 with the U.S. Army, and various other armies long after that. The tank was heavily, if not terribly successfully, used by the ARVN during the Vietnam War.
Saturday, March 24, 1945. Operation Varsity.
Operation Varsity, part of Operation Plunder, saw British, Canadian and American airborne troops drop around Wesel, Germany.
Little remembered, and sometimes criticized, the successful operation remains the largest airborne operation ever conducted on a single day and in one location. Much of the criticism has been based on the operation perhaps being unnecessary, but it's notable that by the end of this day, Montgomery's forces of Operation Plunder, which included American, British and Canadian troops, had established a bridgehead over the Rhine five miles deep.
German troops in Hungary were retreating in disorder.
The Red Army took Spolot on the Baltic coast between Gdynia and Danzig.
Task Force 58 raided Okinawa.
The Allied Chinese New 1st Army links up with the Chinese 50th Division near Hsipaw, bringing the campaign in northern Burma to an end.
Last edition:
Friday, March 23, 1945. Rhine flood.
Labels: 1940s, 1945, Adolf Hitler, Airborne, Army, Burma, Germany, Indian Army, Luzon, Operation Plunder, Operation Varsity, Philippine Resistance, Philippines
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