1. I watched the launch of the Mars mission this AM. Flawless, simply flawless. The big Atlas 5/Centaur blasted into the sky exactly on time from Canaveral. First Stage burnout and jettison was flawless, Centaur performed its two burns perfectly. The first to take the bird into an earth orbit and the second to take the payload out of Earth's gravity well and send it on its way to Mars. As one engineer said on TeeVee, "we have left the building." Having done its thing, Centaur disconnected from the Perseverance payload and went into a parking orbit out beyond the moon where it will stay until someone may retrieve it, someday. The Mars bound spacecraft will make a few course corrections during the transit to Mars in order to land (or crash) it in Jezro Crater. A word about the nuclear battery on the rover. During the trip it will be supplying power to the spacecraft and its functioning life will be at least 15 years.
2. The GDP of the US contracted (shrank) by a third in the 2nd Quarter. This hit the markets like a ton of bricks. Ugly.
3. Just to make things worse Trumpy tweeted that the November election should be postponed because there is a serious chance that the mail in voting proposed in a number of states will be riddled with fraud. firstly, the US Constitution makes federal elections the responsibility of the states. Trump has no authority that I know of with which to postpone an election. His desire to do so demonstrates the wisdom of the Framers. This may be the final fatal misstep for him.
4. Pompous the Great claims that DoJ can postpone an election? Well, he was "first in his class" at WhooPoo. pl
https://twitter.com/matthewstoller/status/1289193196283498496?s=21
https://twitter.com/techno_fog/status/1289014185637093377?s=21
The Epstein case is so egregious. The FBI does not come across as anything but a political organization coming down with a hammer on those without political connections while obfuscating and protecting well connected depraved child rapists.
Why should this institution with Hoover’s legacy continue to exist?
Posted by: Jack | 31 July 2020 at 12:36 PM
Very good to hear that! For odd times, odd memoirs may be best. I’ve noted familial grace as a force in your life. Family & ancestors endure when nothing else bears the load.
Posted by: ked | 31 July 2020 at 12:36 PM
As the Colonel knows I've been following this site for years, so hopefully it's ok to make an observation as a foreigner (I live in Scotland)
The number of self-styled "Libertarians," who now support Federal miltary intervention in states, and the possible postponement of elections is very striking.
Posted by: James Doleman | 31 July 2020 at 12:38 PM
James Doleman
There are no "federal troops" being used to suppress violence. The people you see battling rioters in Portland, etc. are policemen, not member of the armed forces. Why would Libertarianism extend to allowing anarchists and marxist revolutionaries size control of cities? Libertarianism is not a suicide pact.
Posted by: turcopolier | 31 July 2020 at 12:49 PM
I often wonder how the Dems look upon their American serfdom they want to create, do they look upon us peasants as Bednyaks, Serednyaks, or Kulaks?
Posted by: J | 02 August 2020 at 01:12 AM
Starting in 2000 I and my wife worked elections here in california, I as a Judge, my wife as an Inspector. All the people I ever worked with took the integrity of elections very seriously. We even take an oath before we opened the polls to that effect. An oath. It is deeply offensive that people will casually state or assume that accuracy of an election can be compromised so easily. The people who volunteer to work polls are Americans who understand and value what that is and means and what it takes to preserve it. I have had the same feeling working on the two elections I volunteered for as well, that it is dishonourable to 'win' an election by cheating, and that feeling was echoed by everyone involved in the campaigns I worked for. I call B.S. on this talk of the election being rigged, its being a sore loser, or preparation for something worse. Really its kinda simple, if you wreck the economy and get hundreds of thousands of your citizens killed, you are not going to get reelected.
Posted by: randal m sexton | 03 August 2020 at 12:39 AM
randal M Sexton
"if you wreck the economy and get hundreds of thousands of your citizens killed, you are not going to get reelected." A fine statement of the Left's propaganda line. Trump actually did neither of those things, but people are stupid enough to buy your story so I hink you lefties are going to take over. BTW, why do you spell this word as "dishonourable?"
Posted by: turcopolier | 03 August 2020 at 07:04 AM
randal,
Did you also register people to vote, via ensuring the accuracy of applicants for driver's licenses in that state, as current law requires automatic registration to vote of all applications in California? Were all of the votes mailed in handled by you as election judge, or were they sorted by precint to be counted by each precinct in which the voter lived as it is done in Michigan?
Posted by: Fred | 03 August 2020 at 09:33 AM
I hope the lefties don't take over. The far left aka Communist Wing of the Democratic Party will be running the show if Biden puts Harris in the VP driver's seat.
Colonel,
I seem recall quite a few voter fraud cases on both the West and East coasts as well as other parts of the U.S., or is my memory failing me? With software becoming more the mainstream in running elections, comes voter flipping and mega vote fraud. Best I recall, there are over 1000 plus proven voter fraud cases in the U.S..
With mail-in comes hazards, without rigid safeguards to prevent fraud, voter intimidation, and misuse, absentee ballot fraud, has already affected the outcome of elections in counties and states across the nation. North Carolina was overturned by their state election board in 2018 in their congressional race. The mayor of Gordon Alabama was removed from office for absentee ballot fraud.
Absentee ballots compromise the secret ballot process.
Without the supervision of election officials, voters are vulnerable to intimidation and pressure tactics. This applies to all campaigns.
Vote thieves look upon the absentee ballots as their tool of choice.
With absentee ballots comes the problem of misdirection or just wind up plain missing in past elections.
Electronic signatures are too easily duplicated.
Residence where voters have moved, their automatic ballots are not necessarily thrown out by the new residence occupants. Third parties frequently canvas neighborhood looking for 'extra ballots'. Some of the new residents are tempted to cast the extra votes.
Vote harvesting should be banned and not allow those with a 'stake' in the elections outcomes to collect voter absentee ballots.
Verification of the voter must be confirmed, before they are allowed to vote. If a voter requests an absentee ballot they should be required to use a signed form that can be authenticated.
Election officials must coordinate with the Postal Service, and coordinate with Federal, State, and local prosecutors, and quickly enforce Federal and State laws regarding voter/election crimes.
Posted by: J | 03 August 2020 at 10:02 AM
Both Parties Approve a Bill that Includes “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation Orders for Military Personnel
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/both-parties-approve-a-bill-that-includes-red-flag-gun-confiscation-orders-for-military-personnel/
Posted by: J | 03 August 2020 at 10:58 AM
Colonel,
Congress really screwed all who are subject to the UCMJ with their latest Red Flag Gun Confiscation Order attack on the 2nd Amendment Rights of Military Personnel that's included (H.R. 6395 -- a bill passed by the House of Representatives that would allow ex parte "Red Flag" Gun Confiscation Orders that's buried deep) within the NDAA 2021. Trump has threated to Veto it, but a coalition of House Dems & Republicans claim they've made it Veto Proof. The NDAA still has to pass the Senate. The Houston Courant article really expounds on the damage it poses to all military personnel.
Please expound on it for your blog readers.
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/both-parties-approve-a-bill-that-includes-red-flag-gun-confiscation-orders-for-military-personnel/
https://www.houstoncourant.com/houston-voices/2020/gun-control-sneaks-by-lackadaisical-republicans
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116hr6395rh/pdf/BILLS-116hr6395rh.pdf
Posted by: J | 03 August 2020 at 08:20 PM
J,
Kamala sent black moms to jail for minor offenses as AG in California. Tulsi destroyed her on the primary debate stage for her hypocrisy. She’ll use the black card for the election but that’s not who she caters to. Like all of them she’s a corporatist. Biden is just a front for Obama, who is best pals with the Davos billionaire class. They’ll have some token “marxist” identity politics shtick but the bulk of their program will be back to neoliberal & neocon program.
https://twitter.com/timand2037/status/1290463644501909509?s=21
Posted by: Jack | 04 August 2020 at 01:59 AM