Endeavour Landing

Another great landing by the space shuttle

F-22 DOA

Unless someone comes to their senses and allows the F-22 to be sold to Japan and Israel the Senate vote on Tuesday effectively ends the production run of the F-22 Raptor. While I have never been a big fan and the FMC numbers and other data back up my earlier complaints not buying more is a huge mistake for a couple of reasons. First off 187 birds is simply not enough to ensure Air Dominance in any future conflict especially with the F-15C getting extremely long in the tooth. The other big reason to keep building is it keeps highly skilled workers on the job. If we can spend billions on Government Motors and the joke that is known as Chrysler we can surely build another 100 Raptors

Hat Tip: Ace Of Spades

"The Senate on Tuesday voted to strip $1.75 billion on seven additional F-22 jets that President Obama said was unnecessary and would doom a $680 bill authorizing defense spending plans for the coming fiscal year.
The 58-40 vote prevents Obama from carrying out a threat to use the first veto of his presidency if senators had kept the designation in the defense bill.
...According to Lockheed Martin Corp., the main contractor, 25,000 people are directly employed in building the plane, and another 70,000 have indirect links, particularly in Georgia, Texas and California. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., a supporter of the program, said there are 1,000 suppliers in 44 states.
Dodd, speaking on the Senate floor last week, questioned why Congress should approve $65 billion to prop up the automobile industry but can't spend $1.75 billion to support an important segment of the aerospace industry."

Eagle decent to landing

What is amazing is the alarm call outs 1201 and 1202 which were computer overload failures. By all rights Houston should have had Armstrog and Aldrin abort but like was stated in the documentary From the Earth to the Moon, Armstong was the captain of his ship and it was up to him and Buzz to get the Eagle down.

Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.
40 years ago today Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon. What a glorious day to remember for all Americans, we can surely take pride in what this mission accomplished.

Apollo 11 Launch

Amazing what 7.5 million pounds of thrust can do. the full up Saturn V was over 365 feet tall. I was lucky enough to be there to see it live. That week I also got my childhood hero's Wally Schirra's autograph.

Mans Epic Journey To the Moon

Forty years ago on July 16, 1969, at 9:32 am EDT, Apollo 11 lifted off from pad 39A to the moon with millions watching around the world. The crew consisted of Neil Armstrong, mission commander, Michael Collins, command module pilot and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin, lunar module pilot

Apache's 1 Terrorists Zero

A good video of an Apache crew taking down terrorists planting IED's

Federal Budget Deficit 1 Trillion and Counting

Via FOX news
Nine months into the fiscal year, the federal deficit has topped $1 trillion for the first time.
The imbalance is intensifying fears about higher interest rates and inflation, and already pressuring the value of the dollar. There's also concern about trying to reverse the deficit -- by reducing government spending or raising taxes -- in the midst of a harsh recession.
Click the title for the full article

Democrats and Car Dealerships

The Democrats in congress have finally realized that closing ache thousands of combined GM and Chrysler dealers and causing all of the job losses that will happen is not a good idea. Of course this may effect some of the Obat dealers who somehow kept their franchise when the original closing list came out at the expense of dealers who were actually making more money and sales.
From the Detnews.com, click the title for the complete article


"A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives, an astonishing 222 members, and a quickly growing number in the Senate, from both parties, now fully recognize what is clear to the American people: The leadership of GM and Chrysler made a horrible mistake by their arbitrary termination of profitable dealerships," the statement said. "Detroit and the (White House's) auto task force's flawed business plan will lead to the direct loss of more than 169,000 good jobs and cripple the U.S. auto industry's ability to come back from bankruptcy."

G8 Photo Fury

Here is the world famous photo of the POTUS ogling a 17-year-old Brazilian girl at the G8 conference; I notice the Frenchman is checking her out too.
Here are the quotes from the girl’s family

"If I were there, I would have boxed their ears," said Lucia Rodrigues, 37. "They should be ashamed of themselves."

Patriarch Eduardo Tavares, after finally getting around to seeing the famous photo of his daughter from behind, quickly changed his tune from proud papa to furious father.

"My daughter is not a model and she is not a sex symbol," he told The Post. "That photograph has ruined my whole family."

Now depending on who you believe this shot is a photo capture from a longer video. Lefty's say there is nothing here but the comments from the family make me think different. You would think that the POTUS would have a little more class or at least discretion. But I guess that’s to much to ask of A Chicago street pol

Pic Of The Day

F-100 Supersabre in ANG Service, late 1960's

Honduras Update

As our pathetic government tries to muscle a Marxist back into the power the new Honduran government politely said no, and that Zelaya will be arrested if he comes back to Honduras. Here is a shot from an Anti-Zelaya rally held today. I did not see any coverage of this or other rallies on any media outlets today even FOX.

Iran Day 19

While Obama crows with Ortega, Chavez, and Castro about what is a justified removal of a fellow traveler, Iran spins deeper into despair as the protesters stay in the streets and some pay the full price to a despot regime.
Hat Tip, Atlas Shrugs