Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Can the Navy get any older???

Posted: November 12, 2022 by navygrade36bureaucrat in Uncategorized
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No, I’m NOT writing about the election results…plenty of other people are doing that.

Besides, the Navy gives me plenty to write about, and this week was no different. In its most recent sign that it can’t recruit enough Sailors, the Navy lifted the age limit on enlistment from 39 to 41. From Military.com:

The Navy, facing an increasingly tough recruiting environment, raised the maximum enlistment age by two years — from 39 to 41 — on Friday in an effort to allow more civilians to join its ranks. “Effective immediately,” recruiters will be able to enlist people who are as old as 41, provided that they don’t hit their 42nd birthday by the time they report to boot camp, a copy of the new policy, provided to Military.com by the Navy, explained. The policy also noted that some service communities like nuclear power, Navy SEALs and divers will continue to be able to set tougher restrictions for their members.

Military.com

Now, if joining the military at age 39 sounds a bit old to you…it is. I knew a few people that enlisted in their early twenties, but once you got past the age of 27…enlistment dropped dramatically. There were some officers that joined later, most of them doctors or other medical specialists, but there were not too many 30-somethings beating down the door to join the military, let alone join as a new Sailor and go to boot camp.

How much do I think this change will make a difference? Somewhere between “not at all” and “nothing.”

I did find a USNI article boasting about how the Navy was reaching out with new advertising to Generation Z. So, I watched their new ad.

Now, the videography is good. It’s a pretty tight commercial, well shot and with a good message, although it should have been titled “Never say never” instead of “Never.” So, how well is it doing?

Now, the Navy channel isn’t exactly something lots of people are going to follow for fun, but at least we can see the video is getting views. What is interesting is looking at the most popular videos on the channel as a whole.

Everything that is really popular is older. Like, significantly older. With the exception of a video made a few months back about a SWCC Sailor (well made video and a very cool story!), most of the videos just aren’t popular. I also tried finding Navy eSports videos on Twitch and other platforms, and their viewer level was…pretty low.

Which tells me one thing: all the money the Navy is pouring into advertising isn’t reaching the desired audience…or much of an audience at all. I’ll venture its because the Navy’s narrative is being told through its news stories, which consist of rampant suicide issues, a forced COVID vaccine, and the increasingly truthful notion that veterans are broken people. All of this turns off Generation Z, and really most young people in general, to the idea that they could have any sort of fruitful career in the Navy. Combine that with a strong job market, and you have the recipe for a recruiting disaster.

So, what is next? Well, forcing people to stay longer is already being discussed at USNI:

A ten-year service requirement would change the motivation of most ensigns who join the submarine force, allowing the community to recruit officers who intend to make the Navy a career. This undoubtedly would cause recruiting challenges, but naval aviation is able every year to recruit hundreds of ensigns who are committing ten years of their lives. Some of the recruitment challenges can be ameliorated by the additional benefits that would come from extending the minimum service requirement.
- From USNI

There is so much wrong with this idea that it would take another article to explain, but I’ll go with the obvious: when a generation of kids are watching their parents hop between jobs to make increasingly more money, why would they be incentivized to lock into a long contract with the Navy? And, when this approach and others like it don’t work, the military will increasingly force people to the paths it needs, which it has done in the past.

Until the actual issues are addressed concerning the Navy’s mission and how it treats its people, it will continue to not inspire young people to join, and will increasingly become more draconian in its retention approach.

This post represents the views of the author and not those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, or any other government agency.

Elections, Perspective and the Triumph of Count Rugen

Posted: November 11, 2022 by datechguy in Uncategorized

The characteristic of Pains and Pleasures is that they are unmistakably real, and therefore, as far as they go, give the man who feels them a touchstone of reality. Thus if you had been trying to damn your man by the Romantic method…you would try to protect him at all costs from any real pain; because, of course, five minutes’ genuine toothache would reveal the romantic sorrows for the nonsense they were and unmask your whole stratagem.

C.S Lewis Screwtape 13

I’ve always been a big fan of history and thus a political junkie. I watched the Watergate hearings as a kid and if you go in my den today you will find an old VCR tape of the first Reagan Mondale debate that I recorded because I thought it was a big deal to have it.

The fact that I’m still here blogging after losing my domain, a huge drop in traffic and the loss of my youtube channel shows that I’m not likely to stop caring about these things anytime soon. I think politics are important and relevant and that having good people doing public service is vital because as John Adams noted it Nor do I disagree with the assessment of Mr. Fournier on this site that things in Massachusetts are about to take a major turn for the worse.

However I must confess that on Tuesday when I left work sick I went home and didn’t even turn on a TV Radio or computer I simply tired to sleep and failing in a series of sweats and chills. On Wednesday I saw the docs at my providers urgent care location, was prescribed medication managed to pick it up by 4 pm and again tried to sleep or at least rest. I had no appetite at all and when I tried to force myself to eat a bagel with a microwaved breakfast sausage at 4 the next morning I could only manage two bites.

I spent the majority of yesterday in bed, pausing only to send a few necessary emails and pay a few bills. I only briefly looked at the news site and slightly altered a scheduled post I had written on Sunday but planned for Wednesday to reflect the results rather then the expected wave. I did manage to eat a cheeseburger last night around 7 pm but was completely unable to record my radio show this week for WQPH and right now the only reason why I am typing this at 4 AM because I woke in a fit of coughing about an hour ago and have been unable despite my best efforts to fall back asleep

All of this comes in the aftermath of Pneumonia from two weeks ago which came in the aftermath of COVID two weeks before that. In terms of sheer personal misery there have only been two months this century that can rival this one.

In short while all those things I write about are important and while I have no delusions of what is coming to my home state and city I find it very difficult to worry about any of those things when I can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t work and spend my spare time coughing up various shades of green to the point where my gut bruises.

This proves that in one respect the six fingered man from the Princess Bride was absolutely correct when he said this to Prince Humperdinck

It’s all a matter of perspective.

On the plus side if it was 100 years or more ago I’d likely already be dead.

We have officially become the Peoples Republic of Marxachusetts

Posted: November 10, 2022 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , ,

On Tuesday the voters of Massachusetts completely jumped the socialist shark.  This state has long been a bastion of liberalism, however, there seemed to be a sufficient percentage of sane voters here to prevent this state from descending to the level of California.  The voters of this state did manage to elect the RINO Charlie Baker governor instead of a true Democrat.

Despite almost total Democrat rule, the economy of Massachusetts did function reasonably well.  Of course, if true Republicans were in charge, our economy would be much better.

With the victory of Maura Healey over Geoff Diehl in the Governor’s race, the economy of Massachusetts will soon collapse.  Governor Healey will quickly implement every single economy crushing progressive policy by executive fiat or passed by radical Democrat legislators.  She is determined to enact the Green New Deal here in this state.  Gas prices will skyrocket far beyond the level inflicted on us by Joe Biden.  Electricity and natural gas prices will soar well past the level where those on fixed income and small business owners can afford.

Maura Healey firmly embraced all of the liberty crushing COVID restrictions and mandates.  The moment case numbers spike ever so slightly I believe Healey will bring back lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccine mandates.  This will cause the economy of this state to grind to a halt.

The worst kinds of progressive indoctrination will become even more commonplace   School children here won’t have a chance.  There will be a surge in young kids believing they are transgender.  I believe there will be no restrictions left in place on puberty blockers or genital mutilation surgeries on children.

The voters of Massachusetts completely jumped the Marxist shark when they passed a constitutional amendment that will impose a tax on millionaires.  This wealth distribution scheme will cause a mass exodus of business owners.

Also passed on Tuesday is a initiative that will grant drivers licenses to illegal aliens.  Coupled to this state’s incredibly lax voter registration laws, illegal aliens will soon be voting in elections, ensuring that Democrats will remain in power indefinitely.

How soon before Massachusetts becomes a third world toilet like California?  Real soon.

Why This Week’s Results Are a Shock in Two Stories

Posted: November 10, 2022 by datechguy in Uncategorized

I’m still very sick but I’d like you to understand why the left managing to avoid disaster in states like Minnesota and Oregon is such a shock. This story from last week supposedly non political explains it:

An endless cycle of grief: Surge in shootings taking toll on ER staff in Minneapolis

Here is a bit of from the piece

Earlier this year, HCMC revamped its support system for medical teams dealing with the lingering impact of the pandemic and the continuing surge of gun violence in the Twin Cities.

A team of counselors is always at the ready to respond within minutes to a doctor, nurse, or another medical professional on the verge of a crisis brought on by the unrelenting pace inside the ER.

“It’s not so much each singular incident,” Radin said. “It’s the accumulation of these events over and over and over.”

During an extended conversation with 5 INVESTIGATES, a team of ER doctors at HCMC recently described the personal and professional toll that the surge of shootings is having on them – a surge being driven by automatic gunfire.

Dr. Jim Miner, Chief of Emergency Medicine, said the hardest cases are the ones involving kids.

“It’s hard on everybody. It’s emotionally draining, and everybody’s tired right now. We’ve all seen things that you shouldn’t have to see,” he said.

All of this comes from the elevation of a local police issue to an international movement for the sake of giving the left power.

This is the harvest of what was planted. The really sad thing is while the Democrats have reaped defeat from this, these folks are going to be reaping much worse consequences for a very long time.

Oh and here’s a 2nd story that I saw Sunday that continues the point:

Portland residents wonder: “Where are the police?”

“They have questions like, ‘Where are the police? How come they can’t come?’” Guzman said. “We used to see them all the time.”

The lack of self awareness here is astounding. When you put people in charge who don’t care about enforcing the law, you have no business being shocked when laws aren’t enforced.

These stories would have been a great explanation for a big red wave but instead they are the perfect illustration of people getting the government they deserve.

For someone who grew up in America’s golden age it’s really painful to see but until the people get tired of this stuff it shall continue.

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