“I’ve made it to Arlington.”

TCM, or Turner Classic Movies, has a wonderful World War II movie marathon (34 films!) for the Memorial Day weekend.

I’ve been watching great film after great film!

Just a heads-up, for those of you who may be interested.

BZ

The OBL mission on May 2nd was a resounding success. OBL received the proverbial and loving “Double Tap” — as I taught my department under my administration as Rangemaster, to mean: one to center mass, one to the head. Occasionally we went Triple Tap: two to the chest, one to the head.

Thanks to SEAL Team 6.

I won’t address the political issues here; that’s for other past and future posts.

The problem with the helo issue was due to higher-than-anticipated temperatures and weights calculated down to the single pound.

And a technology that had existed, quietly, for the past four years was revealed here in the following news photo:

Stratfor weighs in here. He writes:

Numerous media sources have reported that the stealth helicopter was a modified Blackhawk. Having said that, we have no independent confirmation as to whether or not it was a Blackhawk. Our sources are indicating that the stealth helicopter has been operational for a good four years, predominantly flying special operations missions only at night.

In looking at the design of the helicopter wreckage from the bin Laden safe house, it carries many of the characteristics that you would typically see on the stealth bomber and aircraft that is flying today. The design of the helicopter is one that is masked to reduce its radar signature as well as dampen the noise from the rotors. And it’s our understanding that the aircraft was designed for that specific purpose, meaning special operations missions to be handled at night behind enemy lines for the sole purpose of masking its approach to an attack site. From a person I talked to who has flown in one of these stealth helicopters, the helicopter has been described as amazingly quiet in the air, and the noise is much like an outdoor air conditioner next to your house in the dead of the summer.

The helicopter was flown out of the 160th at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and certainly explains why President Obama made the visit to personally recognize the flight crews.

Our aviation sources close to the operation advise that the stealth helicopter crashed due to a brown out. In essence, as the helicopter approached, with the pilot utilizing night vision goggles, the dust and the dirt of the compound created an atmosphere which caused the pilot to set down the helicopter on the wall. After the helicopter crashed, a front portion, the cockpit area, was blown up by special operations SEALS while they were departing with bin Laden’s body.

Having done a lot of aircraft investigations in my past, one of the things you will notice is, the Pakistanis lost control of the crash site. At this point it’s unclear how much of the wreckage has already been lost that potentially could show up on the black market or in the hands of a nation-state that would be fascinated to learn the technology used in order to enter and exit Pakistani airspace without getting caught.

The “Above the Tearline” aspect of this video is the fact that we have been flying this stealth helicopter for four years is a remarkable achievement, and the fact that there had been no leaks until the pictures of the helicopter next to safe house surfaced.

But, in the clear, there is a comparison here:

Following that, video analysis here. See below:

The SEALs detonated the bulk of the forward cockpit but couldn’t, in their haste, attach explosives to every part of the helo. When some persons excoriate our operators for leaving “something” behind, I would submit this: they managed to destroy the greater portion of our electronic techno presence leaving — just that. A portion of a tail. With stubby tail.

Our exposure. Kept in secret until now.

And ignored by our media.

Seen here on Bloviating Zeppelin.

BZ

What’s with the black belt under the breasts?
– Princess Letizia of Spain , French First Lady Carla Bruni, and Tasteless.





As my college professors used to say: “contrast and compare.”
I would have been, simply, flatly embarrassed.


Apparently, MO endorses being dressed by a four-year-old.
And colorblind as well.

Oh please. Just let it stop. Beyond embarrassing.


With a few salient comments, I let these photographs speak for themselves. I shake my head at the predominantly “tone deaf” stance of Mr Obama and, in these instances, Mrs Obama as well. In summation, see the top photo caption.

BZ

From a recent DSCC e-mail:

They’ve really done it this time. Health care. Pell grants. Now Medicare’s on the chopping block.

Democrats think Medicare is a promise. Republicans think it’s a litmus test. Candidates who aren’t willing to kill it won’t get anywhere in 2012.

Look, the GOP’s got a vision for America, and it’s no place you’d want to live. Only four Senate seats stand in their way. We can block their idiocy – for now. But if we lose our majority in 2012, we’ll also lose Medicare, Social Security, health care reform – the safety net Americans depend upon.

We CAN prevent this, and I need your help. Your gift to the DSCC will help protect our majority and stop the GOP assault on our values, but you need to give right now.

Give an immediate $5 to the DSCC, and Democratic senators will match your donation. It’s like giving a $10 donation for only $5. But you must act quickly. We need to raise $231,871 by May 31 to protect our Democratic firewall!

Meeting this goal is so important that Democratic senators will match every dollar you give, doubling your impact. I know it’s easy to get distracted by the three (or four, or five) ring circus that is the presidential race. Thing is, if we lose the Senate, President Obama’s agenda is dead. If you think a Republican Senate will work with him, then I’ve got a nice piece of land in Wasilla to sell you.

I need you to step up, because the right wing sure is. Exhibit A is tomorrow’s NY-26 special election. Karl Rove’s American Crossroads bought more than $700,000 in ads supporting the Republican candidate. For a single, solitary House seat. You can imagine what they’ll be willing to drop on each of these Senate races.

And boy, we’ve got a ton of them. We’re defending 23 seats. The Republicans have 10. If they gain four, they’ve got the majority – and free rein to implement their awful agenda.

The DSCC gets more than 90% of its donations from the grassroots. Your $5 can make a real difference on the ground – especially with the May Match. The match means your $10 gift will only cost you $5 – if you act today.

Democratic senators will match your gift today and help the DSCC reach $231,871 by May 31. That means your $10 gift only costs $5. It’s a great deal – and the best way I know to defend our Democratic majority!

The GOP’s got a vision all right – and a severe need for corrective lenses. We can stop them, but it’s going to take all of us. Thanks for standing up for what’s right.

Sincerely,

James Carville

________________________________

The Demorats repeated bleat:

“If they gain four, they’ve got the majority – and free rein to implement their awful agenda.”

-Less spending
-Less government
-Balanced budgets
-ObamaKare elimination
-Fewer taxes
-Fewer regulation
-More drilling to = energy independence
-Belief in American sovereignty
-Adherence to the Constitution

Man, I gotta hand it to the Demorats. They’re absolutely correct. Adherence to those above bullet points? That’s absolutely beyond awful!

Meanwhile, bipartisan slaps to Mr Obama abound — and rightly so:

House lawmakers from both parties are siding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over President Obama in their differing approaches to the Israel-Palestine border dispute.

Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) said Tuesday that Obama is “tilting toward Hamas” – a reference to the Palestinian group the United States and Israel consider a terrorist organization. He emphasized that Congress would never base its approach to Israeli aid on such a position.

“A majority of the Congress disagrees with him,” Andrews said of Obama.

Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), for one, said the president “absolutely … made a mistake” with his 1967-borders proposal, and suggested it would harm — rather than bolster — the chances of renewed peace talks.

“With all of the political turmoil and unrest in the Middle East, I don’t understand why the president injected himself into that issue right now,” he said.

Both Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.), the House Democratic whip, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) have also rejected Obama’s proposal in recent days, telling the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that preconditions have no place in the negotiations.

Further, what you suspected is actually correct. The Demorats under Mr Obama would indeed like to completely remove Americans’ ability to defend themselves — by Executive Fiat. From HotAir.com:

On March 30, the 30th anniversary of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, Jim Brady, who sustained a debilitating head wound in the attack, and his wife, Sarah, came to Capitol Hill to push for a ban on the controversial “large magazines.” Brady, for whom the law requiring background checks on handgun purchasers is named, then met with White House press secretary Jay Carney. During the meeting, President Obama dropped in and, according to Sarah Brady, brought up the issue of gun control, “to fill us in that it was very much on his agenda,” she said.

“I just want you to know that we are working on it,” Brady recalled the president telling them. “We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”

The statement reinforces an article in the Huffington Post describing how the administration is exploring ways to bypass Congress and enact gun control through executive action.

The Department of Justice reportedly is holding meetings discussing the White House’s options for enacting regulations on its own or through adjoining agencies and departments. “Administration officials said talk of executive orders or agency action are among a host of options that President Barack Obama and his advisers are considering. “

Yeah, those wacky Republicans and Conservatives, who want government to live within its means and continue to provide citizens the ability to defend themselves. How crazy is that?

BZ