Why Only Now?

The headline refers to this action by DJT:

President Donald Trump will launch a strategic critical minerals stockpile with $12 billion in funding as part of an effort to protect American manufacturers from supply shocks as the Trump administration seeks to cut reliance on Chinese rare earths.

Formally known as Project Vault, the project would take $1.67 billion in private capital and $10 billion as part of a loan from the Export-Import Bank to obtain and store minerals for automakers, tech firms, and other companies that need access to rare earths.

Reports have compared the idea to the country’s emergency oil stockpile. Project Vault would obtain rare earth elements such as gallium and cobalt, which is used in iPhones, batteries, and jet engines.

So… anyone have any ideas why this hasn’t existed since, say, the appearance of the PC and digital phones in the market?

Given that our defense systems — aircraft to tanks to ships — have relied on computer chips since, oh, the 1980s, it astonishes me that no Administration since the 1980s had established this already.  Then again:  Clinton, Obama, Biden — that’s  seventeen  twenty years of Presidency that essentially hated the whole concept of a Defense Department because they’re all either overt or quasi-Marxists.

Explicable, but still inexcusable.

Wait… No Backup?

Executive summary:  Dude robs a Brink’s truck, sets off speeding, gets his tires whacked by a spike strip, runs into a house to take hostages.  Hero cop hurtles into action, kicks down the door, empties his high-cap mag into the choirboy.  End of story.

No calls for backup, no dithering, just takes action and the story ends.

Frigging hero.

Relapse

Went out for dinner on Sunday night with Doc and Mrs. Russia, and a good time was had by all, as always.

Yesterday morning:  woke up as sick as a dog, all the symptoms from my earlier plague having returned — pink-eye, sore throat, cough, congestion etc. etc. etc.

Only this time they’d all disappeared by the end of the day, save for the pink-eye, and even that had got better by this morning.  All without any meds.

My fucking body needs to get its shit together, because I’m getting sick [sic]  of it.

Enjoying What’s There

Some time back, I got an email from a newly-acquired Reader who asked me how I’d managed to blog for such a long time, and what was the best way to enjoy this website.

I don’t recall exactly what I told him, but here are a couple tips if you want to while away a few hours in pointless entertainment.

  • Go to the right hand side of the page, and under CATEGORIES pick a topic at random (or one of particular interest to you) and go back through the history.  It’s kinda fun to see all those old (mostly) rants and such.
  • In the “Search” box on the top right column, key in a random word (e.g. Mauser) and see what falls out of the tree.  (Just watch yer spelling;  this is an old-fashioned website, and there is no auto-correct.)
  • Think of a random topic  (e.g. slavery), type that into the “Search” box and see if I’ve ever written anything about it

Just a thought…

“Dear Dr. Kim”

“Dear Dr. Kim:

“I’m a man of 35, looking for a woman to settle down with and perhaps have kids with.  I’m reasonably secure financially — as much as one can be nowadays — and I have a decent job with a good company, but I do have a few quirks that may be regarded as questionable (I enjoy going to the races, but only bet modest amounts that I can afford to lose;  I also rebuild classic cars, which does take quite a bit of time and money but I enjoy the hell out of it). 

“My problem, Dr. Kim, is that as I look around, I can’t really find any women in my target age group (24-35) who seem suitable.  Apart from the obvious losers — I think you know who I’m talking about — most women in that group seem totally unconcerned with their own prospects. A large number still live with their parents, which is a huge turn-off for me because they’re sheltered from the financial consequences of their bad habits, and I have no interest in taking over that responsibility should we ever decide to couple up.

“Even worse, I see these women on social media talking about their lists of criteria that men have to measure up to.  But when I look at these women, I wonder where the hell they get off coming up with any kind of criteria at all, considering that they are, to put it bluntly, horrible prospects who bring nothing to the party except a bad attitude and sense of entitlement.  To be frank, they need to realize that in today’s world, just having boobs and a vagina don’t count as much as they think it might, especially when they themselves may also be bringing stuff like credit card debt and student loans that they will no doubt think that their future partners will have to ‘take care of’ (i.e. pay off).  It’s even worse if they bring children, sometimes from multiple partners and expect guys to be the perfect daddy to them.

“I’m also kinda saddened by hearing them complaining that there are ‘no good men around’ when I know there are plenty — I being one of them, if you’ll excuse my  bragging — but the honest truth is more simple:  there are no good women around for guys like me to couple with or marry.

“Any advice, Dr. Kim?”

— Brick Wall, Missouri

Dear Brick:

You paint a very gloomy picture, and unfortunately I can see no flaws in your summation of your prospects.

In the old days, I might have counseled you and men like you to join a church to find like-minded mates;  but my spies tell me that even churches are no longer proper matchmaking venues because the women of which you speak have figured this out and are joining congregations, using membership thereof to establish some kind of “bona fides” to attract (and entrap) worthy young men.

I could also suggest that you take a few night classes in what’s known as “continuing education” on a topic of interest to you, to see if there might be female classmates who share your interest and can at least be counted on in that regard.  Just be aware that this too might turn out to be a minefield, because college campuses are all filled with the Wrong Sort Of Women nowadays.

I’m reminded of the old joke:

What is the secret ingredient to a happy, long-lasting marriage?
Find a woman who can take care of the household, someone who is wild in bed, and one who is financially blessed. Ensure that these three women never come face-to-face with one another.

I wish I could say something that might give you some hope;  but I can’t.  Your prospects are indeed gloomy, and there’s no easy way, no magic bullet that might make your task easier.

By the way:  what cars, exactly, do you like to restore?