Cartoon of the Day

September 5, 2010 10:44 AM

The Oracle of Argghhh! speaks...

By The Armorer on September 5, 2010 | | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)
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A Labor Day Whatziss

By The Armorer on September 5, 2010 | | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)
Since Labor Day Weekend sucks and I'm in a foul mood (the Auld Soldier died this time last year, and I just had to kill Cleo this year) I'm going to take it out on you guys with a Castle Argghhh! Armorer's Classic pull-the-wing-off-the-fly kind of Whatziss.  There ya go. Scale and everything. But wait! There's more! To forestall some of the usual whinging... here's a picture of all the component parts. So, Whatziss?... [Read More]
September 4, 2010 10:18 AM

Just yesterday, she shared her sunbeam.

By The Armorer on September 4, 2010 | | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)
Today, she rode one to Piddler's Green.  Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance sing a soul to the Great Hunting Ground and Tennis Ball Chasing Facility.  Now there's no one left to just sit on my chest and purr while watching tv.I *hate* Labor Day Weekend.... [Read More]

A new award of the Medal of Honor

By The Armorer on September 4, 2010 | | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)
Not from the GWOT - a Vietnam War catch-up.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

September 3, 2010

President Obama to Award Medal of Honor

On September 21, President Barack Obama will award Chief Master Sergeant Richard L. Etchberger, U.S. Air Force, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Chief Etchberger will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions in combat on March 11, 1968 in the country of Laos. He displayed immeasurable courage and uncommon valor - deliberately exposing himself to enemy fire in order to place his three surviving wounded comrades in the rescue slings permitting them to be airlifted to safety. As he was finally being rescued, he was fatally wounded by enemy ground fire. Chief Etchberger's sons, Cory Etchberger, Richard Etchberger and Steve Wilson will join the President at the White House to commemorate their father’s example of selfless service and sacrifice.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Richard (Dick) L. Etchberger served in the United States Air Force from 1951 – 1968. Born in Hamburg, Pennsylvania on March 5, 1933, he was inspired to join the military due to his brother Bob enlisting in the Navy in early 1946. Upon joining the USAF on August 31, 1951, he proved to have a high aptitude in electronics and began long list of training and assignments that he would undergo to become a master in his career field. On April 1, 1967, he was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant. He held assignments in Mississippi, Utah, Morocco, North Dakota, Philippines, Illinois and the Republic of Vietnam.

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Stay classy, LA!

By Bill on September 4, 2010 | | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)
Yessirree, Bob, what should your Number One priority be when your school district is $640 million in debt , has one of the lowest graduation rates and some of the worst test scores in the entire country, and has recently laid off 3,000 teachers because it can't pay them?Why, spending $578 million bucks on the most expensive school *evah*, of course, because community activists have demanded that the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex be built at whatever cost necessary -- "for the children."Sooooo, what are "the children" (and the taxpayers of Los Angeles) getting for almost doubling the debt?A... [Read More]
September 3, 2010 2:30 PM

Cats and dogs, living together, Castle Argghhh! edition.

By The Armorer on September 3, 2010 | | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)
I haz a sunbeam. I sharez it. I haz a kowch.  I do not sharez it.  (But notice my kewl 1943-dated M1 Gunner's Quadrant in the 1936-dated leather case!)I iz in ur chair, bogartin' it.Brought to you, in order from left to right, top to bottom  -  Cleo, Barnacle, Meriwether, Kiki, and Gunner.... [Read More]
September 2, 2010 3:00 PM

The End is Here, Not with a Bang, but with a Whimper [David M]

By Denizens on September 2, 2010 | | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)
PARDON me for a few if I slip away from my typical method and indulge in some introspection.

Galrahn of Information Dissemination has a rather salient point to be made about the end of combat operations in Iraq, that being, that for the most part, there has been no generational impact upon the American people because of Iraq or Afghanistan theatres. Not surprisingly the meme coined by some Marine in theatre: “America isn’t at War, the Marine’s are at war, America is at the mall” was then and is now irrefutable true.
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Damncat Sez

By The Armorer on September 2, 2010 | | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)
The Auld Soldier had an Auld Cat, hight Damncat, who now resides at Castle Argghhh! He has a snaggletooth, which from time to time gives him an interesting mien that I finally caught on camera today. This may become a feature during this election cycle, if I can keep the Muse of Teh Funny. Of course, the commentariat may submit ideas, via email, so as to not give all the good ones away in comments!... [Read More]

A Castle Public Service Announcement

By The Armorer on September 2, 2010 | | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)
Cannonballs got you down?  Just got 'em laying around gathering dust but suddenly aren't sure whether or not they're live?No, really.  I'm serious - read this article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:When General William T. Sherman rode through in 1864, folks got out of the way; and hundreds of Kennesaw State University students were evacuated from a classroom Monday because of two live cannonballs on campus.They were not uncovered during construction or an archeological dig, but had been gathering dust in a display case for three years on the third floor of the Social Sciences building. The room had limited access.So. ... [Read More]

What has been seen...

By The Armorer on September 2, 2010 | | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)
 Cannot be un-seen.  (Be aware of your surroundings when you click that link).... [Read More]

Signs Of The Times

By Bill on September 2, 2010 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
"Signs, signs, everywhere a sign...Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind."Heh. Silly hippies -- over here, unless you're heavily into beige, the signs *are* the scenery.I've already introduced you to this one:But most of the time, the signs you see are informational -- and if the information's important enough, they'll be bilingual.The larger lettering is, of course, aimed at the larger audience -- in this case, the drivers who are waiting at the checkpoint for their cars to be inspected for unauthorized exothermic devices capable of producing a transient dynamic overpressure in the immediate environment.Some of them are informational for... [Read More]
September 1, 2010 7:27 AM

The President's Speech

By The Armorer on September 1, 2010 | | Comments (14)
It wasn't awful, but it was weak tea, and disingenuous - as all speeches like this tend to be. "But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment. It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century."Heh. If I'm going to hear this from a Democrat sitting in the Oval Office, I much prefer the JFK version:"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well... [Read More]

Lili Marlene & The Power Of Music

By Boquisucio on September 1, 2010 | | Comments (6)
As The Greatest Generation inexorably moves on, it is important to remember them for the sacrifices the all made for us, and for the stories that their souls keep... [Read More]
August 31, 2010 7:45 AM

The New Ad...

By The Armorer on August 31, 2010 | | Comments (26)
You may have noticed the Sierra Club ad over there.    Go ahead, click on it!  It won't hurt you (and will help the Castle).

I didn't disapprove it.  I didn't approve it, either, I dunno how they got it to run automatically, I must have a setting off in my blogad control panel.

S'okay.

They hate the Second Amendment.  I'm going to buy ammo with the revenue.

They love trees (so do I, but hey, I've got a small forest to manage, too).  So, I'm going to get the chainsaw blades sharpened.  And cut some wood.  And not just deadfall, either.

To burn for aesthetic purposes.  And to stockpile, in case the world does devolve to their kinda preferred balance, and we once again live in a world lit only by fire.

Besides, what they're advertising for in and of itself isn't a bad thing. [Read More]

A TINS!

By The Armorer on August 31, 2010 | | Comments (35)
BTDTGTTS*Hearken back to 1978, Fort McClellan, Alabama.  Cadet Donovan is engaged in CTLT, or Cadet Troop Leading Training, which was a 3 week add-on to ROTC summer camp.  Cadets fanned out across the Army (West Pointers could score CTLT in Europe or Korea, but not us cheap kids at land grant universities) and were supposed to assume Lieutenant-level leadership positions in actual units.  Some units were good at actually letting the cadets get their teeth into it.  Others treated the CTLT cadets as tag-alongs.  I got lucky.  I spent three weeks as the functional XO of a Basic Training company.  The real XO,... [Read More]