Reading Sarge's blog post from Saturday made me think about those soldiers doing the right thing, and the mental wherewithal it takes for a person to do that. Those Grenadiers ratting out von Lüttwitz and Sauer aren't the soldiers I was thinking about- they might have thought they were doing the right thing in their fanatical way, but that wasn't right from the Ami or the reader viewpoint. What von Lüttwitz and Sauer were planning took tremendous courage. It wasn't just to save themselves, but to save their entire unit.
Courage today for the average person doesn't measure up to what they faced. Think of actions a person might have to take that could be require tremendous courage- Standing up for someone or something that's right, maybe reporting some ethical breach, corruption, or fraud waste and abuse. That could get you fired at worst, or maybe some social out-casting on social media (which isn't actually a bad thing). Real life isn't like a Hollywood movie, where some evil corporation puts a hit out on a whistleblower. But for German soldiers to stand up against Hitler or Nazi Germany, calling it out for the evilness that characterized it, or to say that the war was lost, would have taken an entirely different type of courage. The result of that action, if unsuccessful, was surely death. The only benefit from doing that, if it doesn't change hearts and minds, might come when one receives his heavenly reward. However it's really tough to put earthly concerns aside when facing death, and it requires tremendous faith to do what's treasonous to German leadership, but right in the eyes of God.
Now I know von Lüttwitz wasn't exactly telling Hitler he was full of shit. He was only saving his own ass, and the lives of his troops. But he wasn't going to individually abandon his duties and surrender to the Amis, he was risking death by bringing his entire company with him. That takes courage, and that's good writing- making us worry about a character who is on the wrong side of history.
I've often written about govt. ineptitude and waste, often what I see from afar, not necessarily what I'm directly exposed to in my job with the Navy. But there is some of that from where I sit. I don't have a guilty conscience about not reporting some low-level fraud, waste and abuse, or for horrible decisions on the part of Navy leadership when it comes to defense spending, system procurement or what have you -the things that are in my sphere of knowledge, familiarity, and interest. But it's not because I haven't tried. I've learned that some programs are too big to fail. Our government is far too much in the pocket of big pharma, big corporations, and the defense industrial complex, to the point that there is always an ulterior motive behind our government's actions and our defense procurements. I had a boss that said there are two reasons the military exists. One is to fight and win our nation's wars, but the first is to employ our nation's workforce. That's why we get two classes LCS ships, to keep shipyards open. That's why we have Joint Strike Fighters that cost 3 times what a single Hornet costs, why we always go for a quality that we can barely afford and eventually don't fully achieve, instead of quantity that has a quality all of its own. Eisenhower was right and that industrial complex throws money to the DC swamp like a drunken sailor on payday. Congress exists not to write laws and help govern, but to redistribute taxpayer dollars to their own states, putting their own constituents to work. And while there is a utilitarian goal of defending our nation, it really isn't. They can't look further than their own state while doing so. There's a reason we have the saying that all politics are local.
Now that COVID is beginning to be less of an issue (I'm vaccinated, wife already had it), despite all the near non-stop fear-mongering in the news, I have started to make a list of all the things I want to do over the next year to make up for lost time. Taking up the top five spots on that list is getting the hell out of dodge and going on vacation. We have timeshare points with Marriott Vacations and we didn't get to use them much last year. I plan to get my money's worth this year though with a few trips with family. On the docket is a visit to Tahoe this summer with my wife's sister's family. We will also get away from town next month to Palm Springs, on the heels of a big project I'm turning in the day prior, which will be a relief. And I've booked a trip my wife has been wanting for several years- visiting the Caribbean, specifically Saint Thomas. Right now they just require a negative test and masks everywhere. Hopefully by the time we go, things will be much different, and proof of my two jabs will be enough, if at all.
Regarding that COVID fear mongering, I do wonder when we will start to see studies that say the likelihood of a vaccinated person being able to spread COVID is infinitesimal. Until then there's no difference between being vaccinated or not- keep social distancing, keep wearing the mast, etc. They claim it's because of the UK and South African variants.* I'm not sure there is a big dark deep state government out there that wants to control us, as that seems a little conspiratorial. But government can't help themselves. When they believe it's their duty to attempt to save us from something, especially when the news sensationalizes it, they start "helping." Therefore, we get a government that is too far reaching in their supposedly limited powers, forgetting that they work for us, and they don't rule us.
I'm really tired of wearing masks and the mask police, and that claim that masking "shows you care." The reason some some of my irritation about masks is that the statistics don't really support mask wearing (particularly cloth face coverings) which is not a statistically significant causal factor of anything. Never was. People keep saying things like, “We’ll see if this continues for the next few weeks, and then decide.” Its asinine. The results are not correlated. Look at Texas. They eliminated their mask mandate a few weeks ago, but Texans weren't beholden to them anyway, and cases of COVID-19 have decreased by 42.5%. The positivity rate of COVID-19 tests has decreased to 5.8%, the lowest number since May 2020. But people want to feel like “they care,” they want to “do something,” and they want to make sure others are “doing all they can.” Hence our masking, govt shutting down everything, going trillions in debt, etc. And masking is an easy cost-neutral demand which the govt loves to give us.
*Wait, I thought calling it the China virus was racist- so why is the media calling the variants UK and South African?
Now I know von Lüttwitz wasn't exactly telling Hitler he was full of shit. He was only saving his own ass, and the lives of his troops. But he wasn't going to individually abandon his duties and surrender to the Amis, he was risking death by bringing his entire company with him. That takes courage, and that's good writing- making us worry about a character who is on the wrong side of history.
I've often written about govt. ineptitude and waste, often what I see from afar, not necessarily what I'm directly exposed to in my job with the Navy. But there is some of that from where I sit. I don't have a guilty conscience about not reporting some low-level fraud, waste and abuse, or for horrible decisions on the part of Navy leadership when it comes to defense spending, system procurement or what have you -the things that are in my sphere of knowledge, familiarity, and interest. But it's not because I haven't tried. I've learned that some programs are too big to fail. Our government is far too much in the pocket of big pharma, big corporations, and the defense industrial complex, to the point that there is always an ulterior motive behind our government's actions and our defense procurements. I had a boss that said there are two reasons the military exists. One is to fight and win our nation's wars, but the first is to employ our nation's workforce. That's why we get two classes LCS ships, to keep shipyards open. That's why we have Joint Strike Fighters that cost 3 times what a single Hornet costs, why we always go for a quality that we can barely afford and eventually don't fully achieve, instead of quantity that has a quality all of its own. Eisenhower was right and that industrial complex throws money to the DC swamp like a drunken sailor on payday. Congress exists not to write laws and help govern, but to redistribute taxpayer dollars to their own states, putting their own constituents to work. And while there is a utilitarian goal of defending our nation, it really isn't. They can't look further than their own state while doing so. There's a reason we have the saying that all politics are local.
Now that COVID is beginning to be less of an issue (I'm vaccinated, wife already had it), despite all the near non-stop fear-mongering in the news, I have started to make a list of all the things I want to do over the next year to make up for lost time. Taking up the top five spots on that list is getting the hell out of dodge and going on vacation. We have timeshare points with Marriott Vacations and we didn't get to use them much last year. I plan to get my money's worth this year though with a few trips with family. On the docket is a visit to Tahoe this summer with my wife's sister's family. We will also get away from town next month to Palm Springs, on the heels of a big project I'm turning in the day prior, which will be a relief. And I've booked a trip my wife has been wanting for several years- visiting the Caribbean, specifically Saint Thomas. Right now they just require a negative test and masks everywhere. Hopefully by the time we go, things will be much different, and proof of my two jabs will be enough, if at all.
Regarding that COVID fear mongering, I do wonder when we will start to see studies that say the likelihood of a vaccinated person being able to spread COVID is infinitesimal. Until then there's no difference between being vaccinated or not- keep social distancing, keep wearing the mast, etc. They claim it's because of the UK and South African variants.* I'm not sure there is a big dark deep state government out there that wants to control us, as that seems a little conspiratorial. But government can't help themselves. When they believe it's their duty to attempt to save us from something, especially when the news sensationalizes it, they start "helping." Therefore, we get a government that is too far reaching in their supposedly limited powers, forgetting that they work for us, and they don't rule us.
I had a discussion with a far left friend, who is at least polite in her dealings with me, willing to let me post my comments to counter her arguments, and vice versa. The discussion was regarding entitlements and universal healthcare. She tends to believe that the GOP is this uncaring institution, unwilling to take care of those most in need which is what we should do as job 1. I said I agreed with her, as would most Americans, that we should care for the most vulnerable in our society. How that should be accomplished is where the division lies. Politics gets in the way, government does too. That lends itself to fraud, and enabling those who could, but won't pull themselves up after using using that assistance. As for improved healthcare, when corporate insurance remains the backbone of our medical system, I don't think govt can make it better without some serious reform, but then politics and money gets in the way of that.
I think there are plenty of politicians out there who have the courage required to do what is right- to criticize the debt we're taking on, or the weak science behind COVID precautions, the need to reform our insurance industry, to call out waste in our defense programs, etc., but they face an uphill battle. I'm cynical as heck, but I have to hope and pray for things to improve. That too takes courage I suppose. We have to keep fighting the good fight, despite the difficult odds. I think von Lüttwitz and Sauer's days of fighting are over, but hopefully their days aren't over. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
I certainly wouldn't use the word "plenty" to describe the number of people elected who will do the right thing. For every Paul or Kennedy in the Senate there are multiple Hironos, Feinsteins, et al. The perfidious Reps who voted to impeach Trump the second time outnumber the folks who understand the Constitution and the law.
ReplyDeleteThe government should do only those things that only the government can do. Our various governments are bloated, inefficient and increasingly intrusive and need to be decisively reigned-in. I rather doubt they will be except by force.
Von Luttiwitz is attempting to save people whose lives would be otherwise wasted -and who would in turn waste lives of the soldiers they would kill in a cause undeserving of either. I wish them success and long productive lives.
Boat Guy
Yeah, I suppose you are right. It's an uphill battle, and they are swimming upstream without a paddle and one hand tied behind their back.
DeleteAlas, doing the right thing, and accruing money and power are often mutually exclusive.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly are in politics.
DeleteBG
Scott and BG- so they mask their fraud and corruption by throwing $1,600 checks our away.
DeleteDoing the right thing is often dependant upon where you reside. The Scottish Highlands, with its very low population density, has seen a correspondingly low infection rate during the lockdown. When the lockdown is relaxed, the area sees more tourists and an increase in infection rates. I do not have a scientific background, so I cannot say if there is a relationship. We are now seeing a possible third wave in Europe, which could spread to the UK if appropriate measures are not implemented. Our near neighbours are jeopardising our chance to return to everyday life, which is a problem not faced by US authorities.
ReplyDeleteTrue, the same thing happens here in the large cities, like Miami is going to face here soon with spring break going on. We need to get the elderly vaccinated and then everybody else who doesn't have comorbidities can go out and live their lives. For the overwhelming majority of people covid is not all that big of a deal.
DeleteBut do we really need to go full Biohazard Level 4 for a virus that's about as deadly as a mild seasonal flu strain, and that can be killed or mitigated by basically over-the-counter meds in most countries, or cheaply prescribed meds in stupid countries?
DeleteIf every flu season since 1970 was reported like the Covidiocracy, none of us would have been able to leave the house since, well, 1970.
No, I am not saying that people haven't died, or will die from the virus. That's a given. People die from colds, stubbing their toes, getting struck by lightning. But the Covidiocracy was advertised like it was BLACK PLAGUE 2020 and with carts to carry out the dead, housed full of deceased people, paint upon the door marking where no one should go. Reality said that, yes, in certain circumstances, like shoving old people in with sick people, or when you deny medical treatment to those who are sick until they are really really sick (like what happened and is happening here in the US of A, where many people who have a light touch of the Covid could easily be treated with a round of antibiotics to kill off the lung crud and some other cheap drugs like HCQ or stuff, thus avoiding the whole 'wait until you're one step from death's door' thingy.
And then there's the inflated COVID death count, wherein anyone with COVID antibodies in them who has died or dies due to someone with COVID antibodies in them is counted as a DEATH BY COVID. Um, no. Be real. Quit fearmongering and Doom-Porning all over everything. Report the actual death rate and let us breathe.
I mean, in my area, it is not uncommon to see someone in their car with one to two masks on. Alone. In their car. With the air conditioning on. Toodling down the road. With the windows up. Alone. In their car. Last week I saw a 4-Masker, with 3 layers of gloves on. Come on, get serious.
And then there's the 'No, you must wear masks and social distance even if you've been vaccinated' rules. So either the mask works or the social distancing works or the vaccine works or what? Back to that Level 4 Biohazard suit?
Thankfully I live in Florida where our governor has a strong lick of common sense and understanding of science. Unfortunately I live in a city and a county that can give Berkeley, California or Austin, Texas or Portland, Washington a run for their money over the stupidity and outright socialistic (of the international kind) political outlook. The result, when I go into a store I have to listen to the loudspeaker talk about masks, social distancing, and "We're all in this together." Bah. My Asthma trumps your social distancing and mask wearing. Bah!
Well Tuna, can't call it the China flu since the CCP controls the WHO and it's Director- General, read up on that individual's actions on being the Minister of Health for Ethiopia and what he did during several epidemics that hit his country back in 2005 to 2012. You've made some damm good points Tuna, thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteThanks, for a while we were fed that bat story, then the truth that it came from a lab. Does anyone think it wasn't intentionally released? They have very strict controls at those labs and I tend to believe they wanted to see how it would spread, China being evil and not caring a lick about their people.
DeleteWell, if you look at who it killed most in Chy-nah, it was the old pensioners who were putting a tremendous strain on the health care system, seeing as a 40yoa person over there has the lungs of an 80yoa chain smoker over here, no, not kidding, their air quality is that bad.
DeleteThe Chinese Communist Party has never ever shied away from sacrificing a whole segment of the population for political gain.
Inadvertent release. Not ready for prime-time else we'da been digging graves in our parks.
DeleteBG
I hate doubling down on ineffective but obvious. Like you said, it shows the "care" of the controller but not anything else.
ReplyDeleteWe have a turd at work that was taking pictures of folks not wearing masks correctly and threatening to send them to "HR". He is terrified of the pox, and if you aren't, then, by gum, you will be terrified of him. It was almost time to "pull your blouse, mister!" I'm glad we didn't have to go there.
This has done a lot to scrape off the paint and see who is rusty and who isn't. I'll give it that.
Defund the masked police!
DeleteI do disagree a little about defense spending. I think it is in the national interest to ensure that we have the capability and the capacity to build things for a conflict. It'd be a bitch to get into a conflict and have a supplier say "our government disapproves of your war, so no replacements or spare parts for you."
ReplyDeleteConcur, it may smack of a "jobs program," but you have to sustain that capability.
DeleteAs is often said, freedom isn't free, sometimes that means spending money rather than lives.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
"Defense spending" like "Covid relief" will not go where it is most needed. DoD money will go to the continual erosion of readiness by the SJW Stasi. We don't have much intermediate maintenance capability and haven't for decades now. Look to the Navy as a prime example; there aren't SIMA's, tenders anymore. Ship's company is left to do those tasks when they can't keep the ship painted.
DeleteBoat Guy
I work in defense too and so I agree that we need defense spending, but how that is spent, and the fraud that is inherent and the politics that is involved is the part of it that makes me cringe. We should get what we pay for, these contractors should deliver what was ordered, or we should go for more stable designs and buy a lot of them.
DeleteAs an example, we coulda bought a passle of updated Perry-class instead of little crappy ships and the zumwalt travesties if we were interested in keeping yardbirds employed.
DeleteBoat Guy
Sensible defense spending. I mean, just look at what NASA did with their COTS program that encouraged private industry to build greatness in a competitive environment.
DeleteCan you imagine the same focus on many of the defense programs?
Like, at one time, the A-10 program was soliciting bids on a monthly basis for ammo for the main gun. There were 3 manufacturers who could make a round, and the bidding process kept them all in business, with one manufacturer or another not able to bid one month due to plant issues or already promised production elsewhere. Kept the cost of the A-10 gun round down to a reasonably expensive 30mm depleted uranium round. Then the Nabobs in Congress got their knickers in a twist, and they went to one supplier, and the price went up, a lot.
Common sense defense spending.
And if you want to keep those yards open, have them make decent ships. Like, oh, say, the new frigates, or navalized National Security Cutters, or something. Just not the Little Crappy Ships.
A timely post.
ReplyDeleteThough I'm not a conspiracy theorist sort of fellow, this certainly smells like a communist takeover.
The latest ploy to divide us, anti-Asian "racism." What, a year into the virus and NOW people are pissed at all Asians?
What a convenient story for the propaganda arm of the left, ya know, the MSM.
One thing that's not being said is who is doing the violence on Asians. It's an inconvenient stat. That shooting in Atlanta was clearly, because of the admission of the 20-year-old kid, not a racist act, but the left wing media is falling all over themselves to ignore that admission.
DeleteThe Media is also ignoring the virtual slavery those massage girls work under. Again, because that would point negative fingers upon the ChiComs and our State Department.
DeleteAt this point I suspect that there will ALWAYS be a new variant coming along, in order to keep the 'emergency' active and alive.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, the unicorns won't be able to play their silly games.
Frank
True, they are using it to keep us afraid but the vaccines are good against those variants according to the vaccine companies and the CDC, so that narrative won't last too much longer.
DeleteThat line does make for a good joke - "according to the vaccine companies and the CDC'.
DeleteThere's been a recent spike in new cases, taking place in states with high vaccination rates.
Bet we'll see that in news headlines real soon :)
Frank
Tuna - Well thought out. The reality is that more and more, we are becoming people of perceptions - appearing to care, saying the right things or supporting the right causes, doing things of no actual importance because it trendy to do so - rather than taking actions to actually do things. Or - which seems to fit my case more and more - quietly stepping away from society and conversation to avoid having to either be involved with or deal with it.
ReplyDeleteI will say that my understanding of the military was that it was created to "win wars and break things". The fact that it is turning into anything but that gives me the sense and the fear that we are one major conflict away from sliding into the status where the only purpose of the military is to run herd on its internal citizens, not its external foes (which, near the end per Sarge's vignettes, seems to be like a lot of what happened in late WW II Germany).
Might not even take a "major conflict" for that to happen. The administration is already setting the stage for that.
DeleteBoat Guy
Yes, we are definitely all about actions that make us feel good. Did you post a black square to support blm? Do you put a rainbow over your Facebook profile picture on pride day? Meaningless actions that help people be narcissistic. And the social justice warriors have completely infiltrated our military, but more frighteningly our leadership.
DeleteLast year I was looking at the studies that I could find about the wearing of masks preventing infection. I found several studies that were done before COVID 19 was even thought of. The majority of them showed that the post operative infection rate DROPPED when masks were NOT worn during surgery. The main reasons that they keep wearing masks is perception and tradition. Think that through. An example for keeping masks under perception is the fear of lawsuits if there is an infection when masks were not worn. The public has become so ingrained in the wearing of masks in an operating room that it would be perceived as negligence if masks were not worn.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting, and it shows how we refuse to change our behavior based on later studies. The CDC said that those who are vaccinated can start taking off our masks when in the company of other vaccinated people but we are not hearing that widely publicized.
DeleteAnd one of the biggest names in the 'Studies show masks are counterproductive' crowd? Dr. Fauci. Who's own research determined that masks made the Spanish Influenza very much more deadly because masks contributed to pneumonia, which was the primary killer.
DeleteAnd guess what's the primary killer of COVID? Yep. Pneumonia...
" I'm not sure there is a big dark deep state government out there that wants to control us, as that seems a little conspiratorial."
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go with a quote from one of my favorite authors and characters.
“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” - Sherlock Homes
Other than that, Tuna, great post
As usual
Well, there may be a star chamber in play, but I tend to think there's a lot of group think and cowardly Dems just blindly following the wind of the DNC and liberal populace. They complain about stuff when it's convenient, when there's a GOP President in office, then ignore the same failings from their own DNC administration. The only thing they believe in is power, not actual policies that help.
DeleteFound this piece in the Early Bird: https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2021/03/18/lockheed-martin-shutters-2-navy-plants-heralding-new-technology-on-the-waterfront/?sh=c3d0ad933b0e
ReplyDeleteIn response to all of this, I am remembering one of the most profound internet memes I ever saw.
ReplyDeleteRemember, the people turning Anne Frank and her family in were following the law. The people sheltering the Franks were violating it.
Yeah, there's "right" and then there's morally right.
DeleteWhen I think of courage during the Nazi era I think of Sophie Scholl and her White Rose Movement in Munich. They were students just handinkg out leaflets and were caught. Had to endure a mock trial with the notorious Ronald Freisler. She was guillotined.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Scholl
Roland Freisler...
Delete"If every Jewish and anti-nazi family in Germany had a Mauser rifle, twenty rounds of ammunition and the will to use it, Adolf Hitler would have been a minor footnote in the history of Weimar Germany" Aaron Zelman, may he Rest In Peace.
DeleteBoat Guy
Boat guy- Biden can't come for my guns. I keep them upstairs.
DeleteI read that he was killed in an American Bombing raid on Berlin - too mad we couldn't hang him. Listen to this lunatic:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNi5256dhvM
Raving lunatic.
DeleteCourage is what makes the muskrat guard his musk!
ReplyDeleteSelf preservation can help motivate your courage.
ReplyDelete