Author: thewriterinblack

It was 1967, the race to the moon was in full swing.  Project Gemini with record breaking altitude and endurance feats, orbital missions as long as two weeks and altitudes as high as 873 miles.  They had managed to have one spacecraft rendezvous and dock with another.

Next up was Apollo.  A larger spacecraft holding three rather than two men intended to carry its crew to the moon.

The chosen commander for the first Apollo mission was veteran astronaut Virgil “Gus Grissom” who had flown in the second Mercury mission and commanded the first Gemini mission.  With him were other veteran Edward White, first American to “walk” in space, and newcomer Roger Chaffee.

During early preparation the crew expressed concern about the amount of flammables in the cabin.  Joseph Shea, the program office manager gave the order to remove flammables but did not supervise the removal personally.  In addition more than 700 changes were made to the spacecraft after its arrival at KFC.  Eventually, this work was completed and the craft was given an altitude chamber test with the backup crew (actually a new backup crew after a shakeup in planned operations:  Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham) who pronounced themselves satisfied with the spacecraft and its performance

Ground tests were being conducted during preparation for the planned flight.  On January 27, 1967 the three astronauts were in the capsule for “plugs out” test, where the spacecraft, now sitting atop its Saturn IB launch vehicle, would be checked out on internal power disconnected from the ground umbilicals.

Early in the test, Grissom complained of an odor of sour buttermilk in his suit.  No casue was ever determined for this odor nor was any connection between it and the eventual fire.  During the countdown, the crew experienced communications problems and the countdown was held while those were sorted out.

At just before 6:31 AM the voltage in AC Bus 2 increased momentarily.  Nine seconds later one of the astronauts, some listeners think Grissom, said “Hey!” or “Fire!”  Two more seconds of scuffling then someone (most listeners think Chaffee) said “We’ve (or I’ve) got a fire in the cockpit.”  A few more seconds then another shout of their being a bad fire and they were getting out which ended in a cry of pain.

The fire would have burned all the more fiercely because of the pure oxygen atmosphere of the Apollo spacecraft.

It took five minutes for pad workers to open the hatches to get to the interior of the spacecraft.  By that time it was far too late.  So thick was the smoke that they could not see the astronauts even though the pane lights still shone.  When the smoke cleared, they found the bodies.

In Capsule Twelve, three men were dead.

Grissom had removed his restraints and was lying on the floor of the spacecraft.  White’s restraints were burned through and he had tried to open the hatch.  Chaffee remained strapped into his seat.

Large strands of melted nylon “welded” the astronauts into place.  It took 90 minutes to remove their bodies.

An entire string of factors led to this tragic accident.

• An ignition source most probably related to “vulnerable wiring carrying spacecraft power” and “vulnerable plumbing carrying a combustible and corrosive coolant”
• A pure oxygen atmosphere at higher than atmospheric pressure
• A cabin sealed with a hatch cover which could not be quickly removed at high pressure
• An extensive distribution of combustible materials in the cabin
• Inadequate emergency preparedness (rescue or medical assistance, and crew escape)

Normally, I try to end these with something pithy or clever, but I don’t really have anything for this one except to wish godspeed and fair seas to fallen heroes.  And they were heroes.  They knew they were engaging in a risky endeavor where they faced death.

So, let these two songs express my feelings on the matter:

On January 25, 1995 the world almost had a nuclear war.

In 1995, the Cold War was over, ended for all practical purposes with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The threat of a global nuclear war was much reduced.  The world breathed a collective sigh of relief.  Yet that relief proved to be premature.

Although the Soviet Union was no more, Russia and the US retained considerable mistrust of each other.

It was in this environment that Norway launched a scientific sounding rocket on a high, suborbital path to study the Aurora Borealis over the island of Svalbard.

Although Norway had previously announced the flight to over 30 other countries, including Russia, this information was not passed on to the Russian radar technicians.  When the technicians picked up the rocket on radar, flying in the “corridor” that stretched from Minuteman III missile sites to the Russian Capital of Moscow, their immediate impression was that this was an early stage precursor of a US missile attack on Russia.

The rocket, on radar, looked very like a Trident SLBM.  One possibility was that this initial missile was intended to create an EMP to confuse and blind Russian radars and open the way for a more massive attack to follow.

To add to the confusion, the Black Brandt XII, on stage separation, appeared on radar to resemble the separation of MIRVs (Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles) from their carrier in a ballistic missile.

For whatever reason, perhaps equipment difficulties, perhaps simple operator error, the Russian technicians did not immediately detect that the rocket was headed out to sea and not toward Russia.  Of the ten minutes they had to determine whether to launch a retaliatory strike (A Trident Missile from submarines in the Barents Sea could reach mainland Russia in ten minutes), eight were spent determining the trajectory.

An alert was passed up the Russian chain of command, all the way to then President Boris Yeltsin.  For the first time ever he activated his “nuclear keys” in preparation for launching a nuclear retaliation.  Submarine commanders were given the order to stand by and prepare to launch.

Before the final button (metaphorical–the process is more complicated) could be pushed, word reached the decision makers that the rocket was headed on a safe trajectory and was not a threat to Russia.  In the end, the alert was rescinded.

This represents the only known time so far that any nuclear power has activated it’s “nuclear briefcase” in preparation for launching an attack.

 

Not Liv, but not bad

And “related videos” always seem to end up here:

The “shutdown”, which had so many people in a panic, lasted three days.

It was ridiculous to begin with.  “Deal with DACA*” they screamed, insisting it be dealt with in the spending bill or they’d vote against it and shut down the government.  Well, the Republicans said “no” and the Democrats voted against it and shut down the government.

Even before the final vote was held, the Democrats’ media machine was in action, shifting the blame to the Republicans.  Attempting to shift the blame.  The big argument that I saw was “Republicans have control of the House, the Senate, and the White House, of course they are responsible for this.”

Only that argument didn’t have “legs”. While the talking heads at the major news media might not mention it there were entirely too many people in alternative media pointing out that in the Senate it would take 60 to pass the bill, but only 41 to stop it.  44 Democrats voted against it.  There was nothing except giving in to Democrat demands that the Republicans could do to pass the bill.

There was no immediate hurry to deal with DACA.  There’s time before it expires for Congress to debate and pass a bill on it.  They could have passed this bill and taken up DACA separately.  Instead, 44 Democrats decided to hold government employees, military men and women, and American citizens hostage to their demands for special consideration for non-citizens in this country illegally.

Back in 2013 there was another government shutdown.  Again, the Democrats and the major news media blamed the Republicans for it–with a far easier “sell” than on this one.  They gloated about how they’d made the Republicans look foolish, and taken them down a peg politically.

In 2014 the Republicans not only kept control of the House but took control of the Senate.

The big polls might have been saying one thing but folk who didn’t want to believe them simply looked at them and remarked that these are the same polling organizations that gave Hillary a 98% chance of winning the Presidency, usually with a large electoral college victory (so they weren’t just looking at the popular vote).

So the Democrats came up with a “compromise”–“we’ll pass a continuing resolution if you’re agree to take up DACA as a separate issue”–which the Republicans were willing to do from the start.  But it let them at least claim to have “won” something from their showboating.

I had friends who were going to be materially harmed by the shutdown if it continued.  I certainly winced over that and looked for ways I could help.  But for the shutdown itself, I was kicking back with snacks to watch.

Never interrupt your opponent when he’s making an unforced error.  Gloat, yes, but don’t interrupt.

*Oh, I’ve come to the conclusion that “DACA” actually stands for “Democrats against Citizens of America”.  This shutdown was the clincher.  Prioritizing non-citizens illegally in this country (whether it was of their own choosing or not does not change that) over US citizens and especially those who have pledged their lives in the nation’s service tells me that it is not America and Americans that are uppermost in their concerns.

I’ve got nuthin’ today, so how about one of the most loving, caring functional families to ever grace the small screen:

“Why have kids if you’re just going to get rid of them?”

And John Astin does manic so well.

A comment on today’s post over on Mad Genius Club reminded me of a little anecdote.

When I attended the University of Akron, I was the only person to ever be exempted from both the required English courses for a bachelors in the College of Arts & Sciences. First step was to take the second course, with the idea that if I did that and passed with a good enough grade I would get “back credit” towards the degree requirement.

The first assignment was to write a piece about the Declaration of Independance and whether or not it was still relevant. Listening to the other students talk about their pieces I silently screamed in the back of my head, “I’ve got to get out of here!”

This started with a recipe I found online, but I’ve kicked it around a bunch since then making it pretty much my own. I’m a “by ear” cook so most of these amounts are approximate.

4 slices bacon
1/4 cup minced garlic (You probably don’t want to use this much. I really like garlic.)
1/2 cup minced onion (or a couple tbsp garlic powder if you don’t have onion to hand)
1 16.9 fl oz bottle diet cola. (I know, it sounds weird, but it works)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp or so Worcestershire sauce
1 12 oz can tomato paste
2 tbsp hot sauce
Splenda artificial sweetener to taste
Note:  If you’re not on a keto/low-carb diet you can use regular cola and sugar instead of diet and Splenda.

In a 2 quart saucepan, cook the bacon extra crispy and remove from the pan leaving the drippings behind.

Add the garlic and onion and saute over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

Add the diet cola. Bring to a low boil.

Break the bacon into small bits and add it back into the pan.

Add the remaining ingredients except the Splenda.

Simmer covered for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors combined.

Taste. If you like a sweeter sauce, stir in Splenda a bit at a time until you reach the taste you like.

Let cool then pour into a sealable container (I use an empty, and cleaned, spaghetti sauce jar) to store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy.

The claims are still going out there that Trump and his supporters are Nazis.  The claims are still ridiculous.  But let’s look at a side-by-side, day-by-day comparison of highlights of the first year of Trump’s presidency against the first year when Hitler was Chancellor of Germany:

Day	Hitler	Trump
1	Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany	Inaugurated As President
2
3
4
5		The “Border wall” executive Memorandum.Memorandum condemning cities that deliberately flout federal immigration law, hire additional immigration enforcement officers, and empower state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration law.
6
7		Proclaimed National School Choice Week, encouraging parents to have a meaningful choice in what schools they want their children to attend.
8		Executive order requiring vetting of non-citizens coming to the US from several terrorism prone nations. (This one gets repeated several times as activist judges keep inventing spurious objections and blocking it.)Examine current readiness of armed forces and develop plan to ensure necessary readiness levels.
9		Ethics policy executive order forbidding any executive branch employees from lobbying for 5 years after leaving their position.Ordered development of a plan to defeat ISIS.
10
11		EO to reduce federal regulation:  to pass one you must repeal two.
12
13		Constitutional Conservative Neil Goresuch nominated to Supreme Court
14
15		Executive order to direct fiscal policy to empower Americans to make independent financial decisions, prevent taxpayer funded bailouts, foster a growing and vibrant economy, and make American companies competitive in domestic and foreign markets.
16
17
18
19
20
21		Executive order to enforce existing federal law and seek legislation consistent with constitutional enumerated powers aimed at preventing violence against Federal, State, Local, and Tribal law enforcement officers.
22
23
24	40,000 Sa and SS men sworn in as Auxiliary Police Note that this was out of a population of 67 million.  A similar proportional group in the us today would number nearly 200,000
25
26
27	Reichstagg Fire.	Says he could “live with” alternatives to the “two state” “solution” in the Middle East.
28	Emergency powers granted to Hitler
29
30
31	Sometime this month Orianenberg Concentration Camp and Osthoven “Collection Point” begin operation.
32
33
34
35
36		EO Committing to regulatory reform.
37
38
39
40		EO to review regulations related to navigable waters consistent with “It is in the national interest to ensure that the Nation’s navigable waters are kept free from pollution, while at the same time promoting economic growth, minimizing regulatory uncertainty, and showing due regard for the roles of the Congress and the States under the Constitution.”EO to promote excellence at historically black colleges and universities.
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52	Dachau concentration camp opened to be followed by Buchenwald near Weimar in central Germany, Sachsenhausen near Berlin in northern Germany, and Ravensbrück for women.
53
54	Enabling Act gives Hitler dictatorial powers.
55
56
57
58
59
60		Delegates his authority under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 to the Secretary of State.
61
62	Boycott of Jewish shops and businesses
63
64
65
66
67		Review revocation rules on executive orders for existing federal contracts
68
69		Established President’s Commission on combating drug addiction and the opioid crisis.
70
71		enhanced enforcement of antidumping and some other violations of fair trade policies–basically enforcement of existing law and treaties.
72	Nazis issue a Decree defining a non-Aryan as “anyone descended from non-Aryan, especially Jewish, parents or grandparents. One parent or grandparent classifies the descendant as non-Aryan…especially if one parent or grandparent was of the Jewish faith.”
73
74
75
76		Attacks Syria (ISIS) with cruise missiles
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87	“Secret State Police” Gestapo founded.
88
89		EO that consistent with law the executive branch will buy American and hire Americans.
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97		EO enforcing statutory prohibitions of federal control of education
98
99
100		Establish office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy to defend American Workers and Domestic Manufacturers and encourage economic growth.EO to review trade agreements for violations of trade rules and abuses.
101	Book Burnings throughout Germany
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112		Establish Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity
113
114
115
116
117
118		Continues Iran Nuclear Sanctions Relief
119
120
121
122		Trump Arrives in Israel in pursuit of “ultimate deal”.  While here, among other things, he prays at the Wailing Wall.
123	Sometime within this month forced sterilizations begin. Sometime this month Breitenau, Kemna camps begin operation.
124		Sends budget proposal to Congress “Congress a $4.1 trillion spending plan that relies on faster economic growth and steep cuts in a range of support programs for low-income individuals to balance the government’s books over the next decade” Includes push for paid parental leave as part of budget.
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133		Abandons Paris Accords
134
135
136	All parties but Nazi party banned.
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148		Memorandum on policy toward Cuba: “The United States recognizes the need for more freedom and democracy, improved respect for human rights, and increased free enterprise in Cuba. The Cuban people have long suffered under a Communist regime that suppresses their legitimate aspirations for freedom and prosperity and fails to respect their essential human dignity”
149
150
151
152
153		Memorandum on North Korea: “The existence and risk of proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula and the actions and policies of the Government of North Korea continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.”
154
155
156
157
160
161
162		Reviving the National Space Council
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181		Memorandum of Continuation of National Emergency of Transnational Criminal Organizations
182
183		More EO on strengthening domestic manufacturing.
184
185
186
187
188		Trump prohibits transgenders from serving in the armed forces.
189
190
191
192
193
194
195		Announces plan to prioritize skills based immigration.
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207		Top Military officer warns North Korea that the US Military is ready.
208		Charlotesville riots, Trump says “both sides are bad”.
209
210
211
212
213
214
215	Sometime this month Reich Chamber of arts established.  Jews prohibited from the arts	Trump vows to win in Afghanistan
216
217
218		Pardons Joe ArapioMemorandum confirming military transgender policy. EO imposing sanctions on Venezuela for abuses of human rights.
219
220
221		Launches push for tax reform to reduce taxes on the majority of people who pay federal income tax.
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235		EO Continuing emergency of certain terrorist attacks
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243	Jews Prohibited from owning Land	Speech to UN, criticizing bloated bureaucracy and mismanagement.
244
245		EO:  Additional sanctions on North Korea
246
247
248	Jews prohibited from being newspaper editors	EO on enhanced vetting for detecting attempted entry by terrorists and other public safety threats.
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
269
260
261
262
263
264
265
266		EO on promoting healthcare choice and competition across the US.
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276	Sometime this month Oberer Kuhberg concentration camp begins operation
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287		Calls for tougher immigration law after New York attack.
288
239
290
291
292
293
294
295		Says US will no longer be taken advantage of in trade.
296
297
298
299	Nazis pass a Law against Habitual and Dangerous Criminals, which allows beggars, the homeless, alcoholics and the unemployed to be sent to concentration camps.
300
301		Trump and China, China of all places, agree that Nuclear Weapon freeze in North Korea is not enough.
302
303
304
305
306		DOJ sues to stop AT&T acquisition of Time Warner.
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321		Recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330		Demonstrates graphically (with pallets of paper) how much federal regulation has been reduced.
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338		Trump signs tax bill that reduces federal income tax for the majority of people who pay the tax.
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349		Trump boasts of having bigger “Nuclear Button” than North Korea. (Note: North and South Korea are now talking to each other.)
350
351		Disbands voter fraud commission (after all, a third of the states concealed their data from it).Expands offshore drilling.
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
369
360	Jews are banned from the German Labor Front
361
362
363
364
365

There’s a decided lack of things in that third column, representing Trump’s presidency.  There are no concentration camps.  By this point there should be eight concentration camps and one “collection point” or, if we went by relative populations, it should be close to 40.

Worst.  Nazi.  Ever.

It’s not a Nazi takeover.  It’s not the end of the world.  You only make yourself look stupid by making the comparison.

Really, people.  Chill.

My daughter came to me yesterday looking for assistance on her class requests for high school.  Wow, has that much time passed already?  She’s doing exceptionally well, already taking “pre-AP” courses in middle school, other courses that count for high school credit, and just generally doing a phenomenal job.

But high school brings with it dating (not yet, but sooner than I’m likely to be ready for).  So, this “Blast from the Past”:

1.  Goths embrace pain and suffering.  Hurt my daughter and I will embrace yours.
2.  Tears are nothing to be ashamed of.  Make my daughter cry and I will demonstrate this by making you cry.
3.  While black is always in fashion, pants hanging around your knees are not.  If you insist on this fashion faux-pas I will use my staple gun to give you a nice set of piercings to hold up your trousers.
4.  I hang out in graveyards for fun.  Think about it.
5.  Goths flirt with death all the time.  Touch my daughter inappropriately and I will flirt with yours.
6.  I know every dark, secluded spot in the city where no one could hear someone scream in agony until their voice is gone.
7.  Black doesn’t show bloodstains.
8.  I have a fascination with psychopaths.  Some of my best friends are psychopaths.
9.  Most of my best friends are psychopaths.
10.  Aw, hell, all of my best friends are psychopaths.