Chunkah

Anyone see General Mattis' statement? "In Union There Is Strength I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation. When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside. We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them. [From the June 2020 issue: We are living in a failed state] James Madison wrote in Federalist 14 that “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.” We do not need to militarize our response to protests. We need to unite around a common purpose. And it starts by guaranteeing that all of us are equal before the law. Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us…was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics. Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children. [Mike Mullen: I cannot remain silent] We can come through this trying time stronger, and with a renewed sense of purpose and respect for one another. The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite. Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals—will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad." He doesn't appear to be a Trump guy.

This.

I recently had to dig a trench for some new post lamps at my place. It has to be 2' down around here to meet code and what a pain in the ass. I had my then helper spend the good part of a full day on it (turned out to be his last day as I wasn't impressed with his effort or progress) and it took me almost a full day to finish it. Now that was digging by hand with lots of rocks and big ass tree roots in the way. Some of the tree roots were so big I had to go under them. Find a local kid or two to dig the trench. My electrician bills out at $160.00 an hour for a licensed guy and an apprentice.

Good morning Bob. Traffic is still fairly light but it is picking up again. Been caught in some slowdowns recently. You think they'll ever open the HOV lane again, or are they going to try to discourage carpooling because of the virus?

Tasty! Really picked up halfway through.

Was gonna grill a ribeye last night then it started to rain, so I cooked it in a pan with some brown butter on medium heat. I guess I don't mind the rain.

I used to catch black sea bass in my traps once in a while a little off Spectacle Island. Never got any tog though.

I can't buy anymore! My humidor is jamb packed to capacity, and I have 40 cigars outside the humidor in ziploc's with boveda packs in them. I need to get another humidor, AND I need to stop buying. ....but $39.00 you say?

Yup.

My video didn't seem to post properly. As far as the steak goes it is looking good.

Damn....

Raining so went the brown butter route....we shall see. 20200602_200607.mp4

Kinda boating a touch here at the end but it's likely because I am enjoying it too much.