Congressional Showdown

So, once more we come to the brink of a governmental shutdown because politics becomes more important than governing for the common good.  Just as the Democrats did when they failed to pass the fiscal year 2011 budgets the Republican's now put self serving politics in front of the governing.

It is unfortunate we can't come together as a collective group and vote everyone out, but why should we expect from the Congress any behavior that is different then what we exhibit.

A fan for an opposing team is beaten senseless outside of a Dodgers game.  Union teachers threaten the state politicians.  When a Congresswoman is shot by a deranged man, the media blames Sarah Palin.  I wonder if the Roman's blamed the Goth's for their problems?

FRED

I was at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Warner Robins, Georgia this week.  They repair and perform maintenance on the C-5 Galaxy airplane there, so I would like to spend a few minutes recounting C-5 jokes and stories.  I think at least one of them I’ve mentioned in a previous post, but what the heck; it’s not like old people can’t repeat themselves.

If you fly into a base and see two C-5’s and one of them is up on jacks what does that mean?  There is only one set of jacks on the base.

The C-5 has 28 wheels in its landing gear.  In the early phase of the test program, it was demonstrating its capabilities to a congressional supporter, Senator Strom Thurman.  On landing, about four or five wheels came off and when rolling down the runway.  Senator Thurman turned to the press and said: “That’s why they put so many wheels on the thing.”

The C-5 program has the distinction of being the first program with a 1 billion dollar cost over-run.  That means they spent a billion dollars more than they planned to.  (Wikipedia)

When I was a new lieutenant at Dyess there was a C-5 accident in Oklahoma.  The C-5 had a hydraulic fire in the landing gear and was trying to make it into Tinker (its home base).  The fire was getting worse and they set the aircraft down on a small (3,000 ft) runway a few miles short of the Air Force Base.  They tore up the asphalt runway and as the slid to a stop the airplane sanded itself down to the flight deck.  The airport got a new runway and I think the farmer whose field they ended up in got a very expensive high tech barn.

How do you know you’ve landed your C-5 with the gear up?  Using the brakes doesn’t slow you down.  (proven by two pilots flying out of Travis AFB, CA)

My family and I were going on vacation one year and we were going to fly space available (free(ish)) from Travis AFB, CA to Hickam AFB, Hi.  When our names came up on the list we were given a choice of C-5 or C-141 and I made the mistake of taking the C-5.  We made it as far as the ramp where the airplane was parked.  As we drove up I saw the flight engineer and a maintainer looking up at the tail.  When they said to get off the bus I told my family to keep their seats.  Everyone got off and started walking to the airplane but the flight engineer, who said we wouldn’t be leaving that day because the tail didn’t look right, stopped them.  They all came back to the bus.

FRED = Financially Ridiculous Economic Disaster 

Weather

This is my first attempt at blogging with an IPad. Don't think I will do it very often. I am at Warner Robins, Georgia for a couple of days. Drove up this morning after a night of severe weather. Boy were there a lot of trees down. In fact the downtown portion of Donaldsonville Ga was on fire. Interesting drive.

The Stars at Night are Big and Bright

There is a cartoon I saw today.  It was a class full of people and one of the students had a smaller head.  The caption, "Mr. Osborne can I be excused, my brain is full?"   There are days I feel like that so I've decided to empty some of the useless knowledge I've gained over the past five or so decades.


First, how do you tell a star from a planet?  Stars twinkle (just like in the song), planets don't.


50% of the earths atmosphere is between the surface and 18,000 feet.


The real North pole is not the same place as your compass points to.  I think it is all a plot by Santa Claus to keep us from finding his home.


The shortest distance between two points is a great circle route.


East is least and West is Best, is the mnemonic we use to remember to add or subtract variation from a magnetic heading to get the true heading.


If you can fly above 60,000 feet the FAA says you can go wherever you want and they don't care.  Which leads me to a favorite story, one day Fort Worth Center is talking with an airplane.  The airplane call sign Hustler 51 asks for clearance to flight level 600 (60,000 feet).  The controller chuckles and says, "Hustler 51 if you can make FL 600 you are cleared!"  Hustler 51 says "Roger, descending"


If you want to know what time it is go to Time

Sea snakes are more poisonous than land snakes.


There are restaurants in Germany where you can take your dog, but not your children.  From what I've seen of some children this isn't a bad idea.

Spring in Northwest Florida

I love this time of year in Northwest Florida.  The days are cool to warm and the humidity is not oppressive.  You can be outdoors without wilting, and whatever activity you have planned is likely to go off without a weather hitch.

As the world greens up from its winter hibernation the songs of birds fill the air, and you can feel the renewal of life.  Despite the troubles we see in the news, everyday worldwide, there is something about the optimism of spring that lightens every aspect of the day.

The colors of spring range from yellows of the roses, and red hues of the Azalea to the emeralds of the waters off our beaches.  It is a time when everyone comes out from their shells to be renewed.

Atlas in New York

There was a time when the government spent a lot of money to put people to work.  They built infrastructure like building and roads, planted trees, created great engineering works like the Hoover Dam and in the process employed artists to enrich our lives.

Artists have always pressed the limits of sensibility but the enduring works seem to show us a future.  Funny thing, I don't think the average tax payer would object to this, but someone would and it would probably not be commissioned in todays world.

A Day in Perspective

The clock silently moves forward, but for me it is time to start the day.  I glance at it, but just for the reassurance it really is time to face the future.  I roll out of bed and pad quietly to the kitchen to start the morning routine.  My responsibilities start with the cats.  Bama waits patiently for his breakfast, as the dominant he will eat his fill.  Ali cries, she always cries, but when it comes time to eat she turns up her nose.

Grinding the coffee and filling the pot to just the right level; the coffee starts.  The house is quiet except for the plaintive cries of the cat and the nasal intonations from the bedroom.  I plod back to the bath; to shower and prepare for the day.

Dressing, I have few hard choices.  My shirts are where they always are, my slacks wait my choice as usual.  Socks and shoes are in their places and of course a belt so I have something to buckle.  The house remains at rest and quiet in this early morning.

Silently to the kitchen and then the street to fetch the morning paper.  We have little news here in Northwest Florida, but the comics are a must for me.  Glancing at the front page I notice the ex-wife of a co-worker gets four years for racketeering.  Probably not enough, but her boss got five so what are you going to do?  What are you going to do…. a rhetorical question my father often asked.  I wonder, am I my father’s son.  I hope not.

I slip into my car for the 10-minute drive to base, and to work.  The IPod plays the songs of my youth and I think back to how I should have made different choices with friends I had.  What if I knew then what I know now, what would I have done better?

Through the gate, showing my identification.  How things have changed since 9/11.  Before, the base was open and inviting, now it is a fortress.  There are fears of attack and the work goes on to separate us from the population we are to protect.  Walls are everywhere, barriers abound.  To reach my desk from home I have to show my identification, enter a code to open a barrier, swipe a second identification (twice), enter a separate code and then pass another disinterested guard.  All because we are afraid of what could be.

At my desk I turn on my computers and clear away the clutter I am too lazy to file.  While the computers come to life I make a single cup of coffee.  I suppose it would be more social to wander off to the communal coffee pot, but I’ve come to love my little Keurig.  What shall it be today, Kona or Newman’s own? 

Proposals, questions, requests, and quarries; my day is filled with people asking for things, or me asking people for things.  We say we need to do with less, but somewhere along the lines the people at the top never get the memo.  I have bosses and I am a boss so stuff flows through me, around me, and sometimes just over me.

Someone in Washington needs to know some useless information in two weeks or life as they know it will end.  It is information that if we were to be accurate in providing would take six months to extract from our records.  We will spend 200 man-weeks extracting data from our files and when we can’t get it from our files it will come from some other orifice.  They will have data they won’t believe and we will all move on to the next great crisis.

I push forward a decision package so my General can approve a course of action.  He carries it to his boss, they mumble back and forth and he tells me what we should do, but he won’t sign the document.  If he signed it we would have something he could be held accountable for.  Can’t have that!  Our motto:  admit nothing, deny everything, and make counter accusations.

Lunch, an old friend is retiring.  I hate farewells, but I have to go.  I hate Thai lunch buffets, but I have to go.  Nice words, stupid gifts, ah well.

Back to the office for more paper shuffling, and a conversation with a Colonel in Tampa.  He has a job, I have a job, and we try and make sense of the rumors of direction the Generals haven’t signed up for.

Finally the end of the day and I make my escape.  I call home to see what medicines I need to pick up for my wife and she says the EPA was visiting and they took pictures she had of the great flood of ’07.  She is optimistic they will force the county to take action.  Can I pick up fish?  It’s Friday and she has to have fish.