History, Politics And Current Affairs

clancyphile wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 3:49 pm

Poohbah wrote: ↑Sat Nov 19, 2022 1:44 am The best memoir by a circuit judge was The Majesty of the Law: Riding Circuit in Occupied Texas by Rebecca Malkus. She rode circuit in Scurry County from 1985 to 1988. The biggest thing she ever did was conduct a trial of a KGB officer accused of rape and murder--of a Soviet Komandantura clerk! She made sure that they found his body, and that there was a complete transcript of the trial, showing that he'd been vigorously defended by a competent attorney and had been afforded all elements of due process as required under the laws of Texas...including the appellate phase; another circuit judge reviewed the proceedings.

That move ended up gutting Soviet authority in Scurry County--even in the eyes of the military government. It showed them that they'd never be legitimate, no matter how many people they shot.

Texas certainly had one of the most effective resistance movements. How did they pull something like that trial off without being caught?

The Resistance in Scurry County was headed by, of all people, a retired history teacher. Guy pretty much set up a replay of the Double Cross system, and he dangled a bunch of walk-ins, all allegedly mercenary in motivation. Sneaky SOB then kept the Komandantura and the chekisti busy chasing phantom Resistance cells. They never found any cell members, but they found lots of "supply caches" and "arms depots." The KGB took credit for the very low rate of bandits (due to their "aggressive recruiting of informers and equally aggressive anti-bandit patrols"), while the Resistance focused maintaining ratlines, maintaining a parallel government, and gathering intelligence.

They lifted the rapist with a simple ruse. The KGB thought the military government had killed him, the military government figured the chekists had reassigned him, and the Resistance cheerfully sowed seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes.

clancyphile wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 3:49 pm

Poohbah wrote: ↑Sat Nov 19, 2022 1:44 am The best memoir by a circuit judge was The Majesty of the Law: Riding Circuit in Occupied Texas by Rebecca Malkus. She rode circuit in Scurry County from 1985 to 1988. The biggest thing she ever did was conduct a trial of a KGB officer accused of rape and murder--of a Soviet Komandantura clerk! She made sure that they found his body, and that there was a complete transcript of the trial, showing that he'd been vigorously defended by a competent attorney and had been afforded all elements of due process as required under the laws of Texas...including the appellate phase; another circuit judge reviewed the proceedings.

That move ended up gutting Soviet authority in Scurry County--even in the eyes of the military government. It showed them that they'd never be legitimate, no matter how many people they shot.

Texas certainly had one of the most effective resistance movements. How did they pull something like that trial off without being caught?

They sure did!

So, how was everybody’s Thanksgiving?

Made cinnamon apples for the first time. Due to size, I should have used two apples, not four. They did turn out pretty good.

Thanksgiving was a much smaller affair than normal this year; Michael's working up for a Red Flag and he has been rewarded for his excellent work by getting handed a metric f***-ton more of it, Krista, Brian, and the three grandkids couldn't make it because the Adjutant General's inspection is coming up in early January AND she's got a hot mess of a site survey to finish writing up (someone's fifty megabuck development project just died because of soil drainage issues), Kim and Valerie are finalizing their adoption and need to stay in Oklahoma for the nonce, and Tiffany's wife, Cindy, is a Colorado State Patrol trooper and she's on DUI patrol this weekend.

However...we did host Tammy and Cassandra Cordwell. Yeah, Tammy actually got married earlier this year. Her bride is the woman who saved her life during the Ramdyne mess, and who later turned state's witness during the RamDyne cleanup; she's now a computer security expert at a pipeline services company in Dallas, and she's a Reserve AFCYBER officer at Carswell (one of Sophie's star recruits from a few years back, we picked her up at the Mountain Home airshow where boss-ma'am made her first flag jump).

She got to really know Tammy in group therapy, and they became close. One thing led to another, and it specifically led to Tammy making a 1 AM phone call to Roberta from her bathroom, in a panic because Cassie had just proposed. So, Roberta proceeds to (a) talk Tammy through her panic attack and remind her that she IS worthy of being loved, and (b) has me call Cassie(!) to impress upon her that marriage is a very serious commitment, that Tammy is practically another daughter to Roberta and me, and that I expected her to love, honor, and cherish Tammy until death do them part.

Cassie was firm; she told me that she'd loved Tammy for many years, and her plan was to keep proving, each and every day, that she was worthy of Tammy's love.

I gave Tammy away at the wedding ceremony; I will never forget Cassie's expression when I joined their hands together. It was obvious that she had found her pearl of great price. Roberta bawled her eyes out like a proper mother should at a wedding.

We enjoyed a proper Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings, and they're flying back to Dallas tonight. All in all, a good time together.

Thanksgiving was a good one this year: two of our three kids were home (Eric is in Poland now with the 52nd TFW at Zagan-a former Soviet AF Fencer base, ironic, no?). Kelly Ray, Brad (no, they're still not married), Kara, Kacey (who is now stationed at McChord and still flying C-17s), were all here as well. Plenty of good food, good football on TV, and unlike one thanksgiving, we didn't have to worry about somebody giving birth on my Den's couch!

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Sat Nov 26, 2022 7:28 am Thanksgiving was a good one this year: two of our three kids were home (Eric is in Poland now with the 52nd TFW at Zagan-a former Soviet AF Fencer base, ironic, no?). Kelly Ray, Brad (no, they're still not married), Kara, Kacey (who is now stationed at McChord and still flying C-17s), were all here as well. Plenty of good food, good football on TV, and unlike one thanksgiving, we didn't have to worry about somebody giving birth on my Den's couch!

Roberta likes to say that Kelly and Brad are married where it counts, they just didn't bother making the admin weenies happy.

Poohbah wrote: ↑Sat Nov 26, 2022 1:23 pm

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Sat Nov 26, 2022 7:28 am Thanksgiving was a good one this year: two of our three kids were home (Eric is in Poland now with the 52nd TFW at Zagan-a former Soviet AF Fencer base, ironic, no?). Kelly Ray, Brad (no, they're still not married), Kara, Kacey (who is now stationed at McChord and still flying C-17s), were all here as well. Plenty of good food, good football on TV, and unlike one thanksgiving, we didn't have to worry about somebody giving birth on my Den's couch!

Roberta likes to say that Kelly and Brad are married where it counts, they just didn't bother making the admin weenies happy.

Perhaps they are, at that.

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Sat Nov 26, 2022 7:28 am Thanksgiving was a good one this year: two of our three kids were home (Eric is in Poland now with the 52nd TFW at Zagan-a former Soviet AF Fencer base, ironic, no?). Kelly Ray, Brad (no, they're still not married), Kara, Kacey (who is now stationed at McChord and still flying C-17s), were all here as well. Plenty of good food, good football on TV, and unlike one thanksgiving, we didn't have to worry about somebody giving birth on my Den's couch!

Given your part in regards to BOLO II, I’d say so.

If I remember right, they knew about a month in advance they would have the trial. The local resistance laid low, and through the Army got word without saying why, to other groups about 100 miles away to misbehave. I think between the four groups about two tons of explosives were used in first two weeks. That pulled Soviet attention away from the area.

I'm fuzzy on what happened next, but after the Soviet Army found out, both sides didn't go after each with too much vigor. At least one time a Soviet Army patrol "accidentally" fired on a PSD unit going after the resistance.

Well, the protest by the guys who didn't submit a proposal got thrown out today at the United States Court of Claims.

And another round of wargaming mobile missile defense ended today, and we chewed over the results. Boss-ma'am is satisfied with the progress, and we've got another round of gaming set up for early December to bring in more concepts and try some different tactics.

So, anybody starting to make plans for Christmas?

Wolfman wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:13 pm So, anybody starting to make plans for Christmas?

Snowboarding at Grand Targhee. The fun part is that you can't get to Grand Targhee, Wyoming from anywhere in Wyoming, you have to go to Driggs, Idaho and head east. But it gets insanely amazing amounts of powder snow, so it's worth the trip.

And Roberta’s opinion about that?

Wolfman wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:59 pm And Roberta’s opinion about that?

It's her idea. She got me into snowboarding after the war at Mammoth, and Grand Targhee is one of her favorite resorts. We haven't been there in a few years, and I feel the need...the need for speed!

Poohbah wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 12:39 am

Wolfman wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:59 pm And Roberta’s opinion about that?

It's her idea. She got me into snowboarding after the war at Mammoth, and Grand Targhee is one of her favorite resorts. We haven't been there in a few years, and I feel the need...the need for speed!

As much as I love the movie Top Gun, that’s a five spot in the fine jar for the quote, Poohbah…

Wolfman wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 1:00 am

Poohbah wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 12:39 am

Wolfman wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:59 pm And Roberta’s opinion about that?

It's her idea. She got me into snowboarding after the war at Mammoth, and Grand Targhee is one of her favorite resorts. We haven't been there in a few years, and I feel the need...the need for speed!

As much as I love the movie Top Gun, that’s a five spot in the fine jar for the quote, Poohbah…

The double black diamond run on Peaked Mountain is worth the fiver.

So you say, Poohbah, but I’m not sure if I believe you.

Wolfman wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 2:49 am So you say, Poohbah, but I’m not sure if I believe you.

Grand Targhee is at the end of a huge moisture channel running straight from the Pacific that gets about 500 inches of snow per year, you can always find fresh powder during the season, it's way more relaxed than Jackson Hole, and there are some awesome runs.

And then there's Wydaho Nachos at The Trap. (Waffle-cut fries with standard nacho toppings, guacamole, and sour cream. Delicious!)

Totally worth the fine.

Well, Army beat Navy yesterday…