Last week I discussed my interaction with a Postial Clerk. That got me thinking of some recent interactions I’ve had.

I was standing outside the bar, finishing a phone call, standing next to someone’s new bicycle. A guy I had seen in the bar, but didn’t know, walked outside with a young woman.  He commented,” Hey man, I heard you were a tough azzed biker. That your new ride?” All the time looking at the girl and smirking.  I responded in a FAFO tone of voice. I loudly told him he didn’t know me well enough to use me as his punchline to impress some new bar pick-up. And walked back inside to my beer. He walked in, alone, a few minutes later and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting, by himself, and muttering to the mirror.

Last week some guy called me, introduced himself, (obviously reading off a script), and told me he was from “Publishers Clearing House”. I told him no thank-you, and do not call this number again. I didn’t hang up, so I heard him say, very clearly, “Fxck you”, to which I loudly responded “No Fxck you azzhole. You called me”. Then I hung up.

I was sitting at a bar, (yes, I see the common denominator,) when two older ladies walked in and sat down on the next stools. These ladies where nicely dresses and ptobably in their 50’s.  I said “Hi”, and that was it. An overage 60’s frat-type, tight shorts, “dress” t-shirt, he even had the sweater over his shoulders and tired at his neck, pushed between myself and the two ladies. I should say shoved, because that’s wat he did.I slid my stool over to give him a little room, but he moved further in and shoving against me. I got up and moved a stool over where upon he plots his butt onto my former stool, and never missed a word with the woman. After awhile the two women had had enough, finished their drinks, and walked out.  Frat boy says something under his breath, and walks away. A little while later he comes back, stands on the other side of me, and shoves his way to the bar trying to get the bartenders attention. I shoved his shoulder , and when he turned to look at me I told him, ”I’ve changed my seat to accommodate you two times, there won’t be a third.” He said something to the effect that’s not a very funny joke. I,loud enough to be heard in the whole bar, responded “What in the hell gives you any idea I’m joking?” And stood up. He started muttering about not being where he wasn’t wanted and walked about 10 feet to a section of the bar where nobody was sitting.

Now, is it me?  Naw, I think  I’m just a asshoole magnet. And there’s no courtesy left in this “fast food” world of ours.

REPROBATE FRIENDS

My friend Bob (USMC RET) and I used to frequent the same bars. During the week we often ended up at a little place on Lewers St. called Keoni’s.

Great jazz and classic bar music by Jimmy Borges and Betty Loo for a small hole in the wall bar.

We’d walk in and sometimes Jimmy would stop in the middle of a song to greet us, Betty Loo would wave from her piano.

It was a Thursday night close to midnight because I was working the 2:30pm to 11:00pm shift (third watch) when we walked into Keoni’s. The crowd was small so we walked toward our usual booth.

Jimmy stopped in mid-song, “Hi Bob…Hi Jim, grab your booth.

Betty waved at us. Betsy the bartender opened 2 beers and the waitress was headed toward the booth before we sat down.

Several of the customers also called greetings out to us as we passed.

After he finished the set, Jimmy came over to say a few words. Jimmy finished and walked away to talk to some of the other regulars.

Bob and I sat sipping our drinks when we realized a very large man was leaning over our table. He looked at Bob and I and said; “Who the hell are you guys? I’m a damn movie star and I don’t get the service you guys get. So, who are you?”

I think Bob and I realized who our guest was at about the same moment.

George Kennedy, movie and television star, was mad at us.

He then grinned, stuck out a hand the size of a catcher’s mitt and said “I’m George Kennedy and you guys are?”

We introduced ourselves and Kennedy became very interested when he found I was an off duty police officer.

We began talking about some of his cop roles when the woman he had been sitting with walked over and said something to the effect of: “George, this is our vacation. You’re always leaving me to sit with your reprobate friends. Now come back and sit with your wife”. And she walked away. Kennedy stood up shook hands and said, “That’s my wife, God I love her” and walked away.

I took two things away from this meeting.

One, George Kennedy loved his wife.

Two I was one of George Kennedy’s reprobate friends.

Actually, that was the only time I ever met the man but don’t tell his wife. I kinda like being one of his reprobate friends.

You got a friend: Stormy Daniels’ husband and adult film actor Barrett Blade said Tuesday that if former President Donald Trump is found not guilty, they will likely leave the United States. Hey, you can join Cher and all the others that say they’ll move. Maybe start your own little enclave.

Gratitude: In 2005, Marius Els, a South African man, adopted a baby hhippo after rescuing it from a river.  Six years later, after years of bonding and play between the two, the hippo  dragged him into that same river…and ate him.

You gotta have standards: A new Belgian law passed earlier this month allows the government to mediate if employers of sex workers or the sex workers themselves complain that the sex workers refuse a client or a sexual act more than 10 times in six months. You know, what’s the difference between a hooker and a politician? There are some things a hooker won’t do for money.

Gonna cost ya: In a lawsuit filed last Friday in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina, Angie Harmon is suing and Reid for trespassing, invasion of privacy, wrongful conversion of personal property (her dog), negligence/gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress, punitive damages. And she’s suing Instacart for negligent hiring, supervision and retention and negligent misrepresentation. Her suit alleges that Reid, who delivered groceries under the name “Merle” with a photo depicting an older woman, used a false identity while delivering groceries, with Harmon having “no idea” she was communicating with “a tall and intimidating younger man.” The suit states that Reid was “not injured” or “seriously threatened” by the dog and had “ample opportunity” to leave the premises without shooting the dog, which he claims attacked him. It is also claimed that Instacart “had a duty to exercise ordinary and reasonable care in the screening, hiring, training, retention and supervision of its employees” and has “breached such duties.” I know, Instacart  is going to claim Reid is a sub-contractor” acting on his own and they have no culpability.  Reid was NOT arrested at the time. Lots of questions here. Why was he carrying a gun? Was he licensed to carry a firearm? Was the dog actually menacing him? And so on and so on . Instacart should be liable at least for the misrepresentation and the failure to do some kind of due diligence. IMOO

Going 1^st class: There are a few things you expect or hope to find in your hotel room – clean towels, bottled water, and a chocolate on your pillow among them. one Las Vegas hotel guest got more than he bargained for when he found a scorpion in his underwear. He discovered it when he was rudely woken up to the pain of the venomous creature stinging his testicles multiple times. This was not at some roadside Inn, he was staying at the Venetian Hotel.  

They do work sometimes: In Honolulu an off-duty police officer was arrested for DUI. She’s not the first and she damn sure won’t be the last.  Wednesday, she appeared in court for a motion to dismiss due to the time being taken by the Prosecutors office. Knowing the press would be present ge decided she didn’t want to catch covid, so she wore a mask in court. Yep, sometimes they do work. (The mask, not the cop.)

Mother Nature is pizzzed: An unknown number of orcas have sunk a yacht after ramming it in Moroccan waters in the strait of Gibraltar, Spain’s maritime rescue service has said, in the latest in a series of similar incidents involving the animals. The passengers reported feeling sudden blows to the hull and rudder before the boat started taking on water. After alerting the rescue services, a nearby oil tanker took them onboard and transported them to Gibraltar. The yacht was left adrift and eventually sank. Hey, it’s their ocean we’re just visitors.

Snake Plissken* says: “These are the things the Dems have promised to abolish if they regain power. The 1^st, 2^nd,4^th,5^th, and 6^th amendments. The Senate. Electoral College. Supreme Court. Borders. ICE. And probably a few things I neglected to mention. Can we declare them enemies of the nation yet? This is exactly what they are.”  (* Kurt Russell by way of Kevin Sorbo)

He didn’t mean it: Comedian Jon Stewart called out former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Hunter Biden during a segment on Monday focused on corruption titled, “How Dumb Is You?” The comedian described Pelosi as one of the “biggest beneficiaries” of their ability to trade stocks before showing video of the former speaker of the House saying members of Congress should not be banned from trading stocks. He’s just climbing on the band-wagon. Google how many times Stewrt has ridiculed, insulted, and otherwise slammed President Trump. You can’t count the times without an abacus.

In the public service : Three inmates charged in the violent killing of notorious Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger while imprisoned with him in West Virginia have accepted plea agreements, court filings show. The three men have agreed to plead guilty, according to motions filed by prosecutors Monday. The filings do not indicate to which counts they are pleading but say the defendants “agree to cooperate with the United States Probation Office.” Too bad there isn’t a “murder in public service” thingy. Bulger would have certainly fallen into that category.

The check was in the mail: The charity founded by Prince Harry and his wife, has been found delinquent in California and cannot raise money because the state has determined Archewell Foundation has not paid its annual registration fees or submitted an annual report. A spokesman for the couple says all the charity documents were filed on time, but the required cheque appears not to have been received. Maybe it was in those thousands of pieces of undelivered mail.

Questionable: On the afternoon of May 3, Roger Fortson opened the door of his Florida apartment with a gun in his hand and was immediately shot six times by a sheriff’s deputy responding to a complaint about an argument. There is going to be a lot of back and worth about this but I see a couple of glaring questions. If the deputy was responding to an “argument” call, why was his gun in hand? Or was he so fast at the draw he drew and fired before the other man could raise and shoot? Why was this deputy so prepared to encounter deadly violence? These must be answered in order to good/bad this shooting.

Good words: “Right or wrong, make a choice. The road of life is covered with “flat squirrels” that couldn’t make a decision.

Everyone’s had this nightmare:  A New Hampshire man is facing charges after police say he knocked over a portable toilet containing a woman and child who became trapped inside. When the woman, who apparently didn’t know the 18-year-old man, went inside the port-a-potty to help her daughter, the man pushed it over and it landed with the door on the pavement. Bystanders ran over and overturned the toilet, freeing the woman and child who reported being covered in feces and bodily fluids. I have this nightmare every time I use one of these ccrappy things. (Pun intended)

What the ever-loving hell: Just as Hamas targeted young children, even babies, for unthinkable torture and death, pro-Hamas demonstrators in Berkeley targeted a Jewish Community Center with preschool students in class as they chanted slogans through a bullhorn and marched. Even worse, the students who walked out were reportedly accompanied by two vice principals from the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School as they intimidated the innocent toddlers, guilty solely of being Jewish. There is only 1 reason to do this protest outside this school, to instill fear in children. These people should be met with firehoses and biting dogs. And sent to jail for terroristic actions.

Remember: Biden said “No amendment to the Constitution is absolute.” This is the most dangerous thing a “P”resident has said in my 75+ years. In fact, in my opinion it is the most UnAmerican, communist statement to be spoken by a sitting president.

Hypocrisy? : British actor Nicholas Galitzine admitted that he feels “guilt” for taking queer roles even though he is not a member of the LGBTQQIAAP2S+ community. Don’t worry, Galitzine has earned a place on the list of the most influential stars of 2023-2024, and with this came several successes, not only in films but also in terms of salaries. It seems that the British actor has been accumulating significant earnings from his recent titles, and everything indicates that  Galitzine currently has a net worth exceeding $1 million. I wouldn’t shed too many tears for the guy.

Kinda sad Good-Bye: Roger Corman, who for decades dominated the world of B movies as the producer or director of countless proudly low-budget horror, science fiction and crime films, died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 98. From 1954 to 1970, Mr. Corman produced or directed dozens of movies for American International Pictures, cult classics like “A Bucket of Blood” (1959), “ The Masque of the Red Death” (1964), “The Wild Angels” (1966) and the original “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960). Schlock? Yes. But I spent many enjoyable nights at the drive-in watching his movies. He will be missed.

No wonder they’re broke: Recently picked up a package at the post office. Clerk got huffy and told me the package had been sent on a “special books only” rate. I told him it was only book’s and he demanded to open it and check. I told him go ahead. He opened it, found the 4 books, and then in a huff told me he should charge me for the weight of the newspaper that had been used to pack the books. By now I’m a little p-o’d, so I dropped a $100 dollar bill on the counter and told him go ahead, weigh that shxt out and charge me. He immediately started like he was doing me a favor and “let it go this time”. I left before I could get myself another fed charge.

From https://middleoftheright.com/: So the parents of a robber, holding HIS gun at the heard of store staff, are angry that some bystander chose to intervene and shot their son…..He shoulda just Left the store and gone on” I am sure that s soon as this latest robbery was done he was gonna “Turn His Life Around”. Remember, deceased robbers do not re-offend.

This is who is teaching your children: A 56-year-old New Jersey school board president told a civil sexual abuse trial jury Wednesday that he met four of his six “religious wives” when they were 18 as he denied accusations he groomed one whom he taught in middle school. Camden School Advisory Board President Wasim Muhammad delved into his multiple marital relationships on the stand, which he admitted is “an exception and not the rule” and “very controversial.” YA THINK??? A 45-year-old woman is suing Muhammad, who is a minister and community activist in the Garden State city, for allegedly sexually abusing her when she was a minor. This pos is NOT a minister in any way, shape, or form.

It’s a shame: On a recent Facebook post it was claimed: “The US Women’s team has made it clear they will resign immediately if the Olympic Committee allows “Lia Thomas” to try out.” It has been found there is no evidence that the claim in the Facebook post, or the quote attributed to “the Coach,” is true. Searching for credible news reports or public statements online, there was no proof discovered. I say it’s a shame, they didn’t do it. If more people will stand-up, the sooner this insanity will go away. IMOO. But what do I know.

Crown of thorns: Before two beauty queens resigned their positions this week, Miss USA organization was in such disarray that Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, had a broken crown for months. CEO Laylah Rose Loiczly didn’t have the money to fix it, sources said. “Layla didn’t uphold her end of the contract,” said Claud Michelle, a former social media manager who resigned on May 3. And why? Because Loiczly lost a sponsorship deal from Fred Mouawad, the long-time maker of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA crowns, when she allegedly sat a member of his staff in the nosebleed seats at a pageant event. “Beauty Pageants”, like Unions, have outlived themselves, IMHO.

You don’t own anything: A senior from Montana has delivered a viral speech about the sorry state of property taxes in the Treasure State. “I’m on Social Security, I’m 68-years-old and working just to pay my taxes,” says the retiree, in a clip shared  by Ryan Busse, who is running to be the next governor of Montana. The homeowner claims that over the last couple of years, his annual property taxes have soared from $895 to almost $8,000 — an increase of around 790% — which he says is like paying almost “$700 a month rent to the state to live in our own house.” The state has an Elderly Homeowner/Renter Tax Credit, and the maximum credit is $1,150. Property taxes are the “rent” you pay on something you already paid for. How the hell do “property taxes”, based on “property value” go up almost 800% ? To me, it sounds like someone else wants his land, and someone in .gov is helping. Sure, it sounds like a Yellowstone script, that’s because it really happens. Could it be our homes in Hawaii are next?

Another remake I won’t be watching: “Matlock”. I could barely stand the Andy TaylorGriffith version. I pretty sure Kathy Bates won’t be any better. A stero-typical southern person, with a think southern-drawl, that everybody thinks is a dummy, but is actually a very smart person who always outwits the other guys. Please, stop. Don’t do it.

Some really good news: The farm in Missouri that breeds Budweiser Clydesdales is welcoming 15 new foals.  Warm Sprins Ranch in Boonville, Missouri, said 15 Budweiser Clydesdale foals were born during the 2024 Foal Season. According to Warm Springs Ranch, when Clydesdale foals are born, they are about 3 feet tall and weigh roughly 150 pounds. As adults, they are usually about 18 hands (6 feet) tall and weigh around 2,000 pounds.

Another “filing error”: Charges against hundreds of illegal aliens have been dropped by a Democratic judge thanks to the magic of a “bureaucracy filing error.” The illegals breached the concertina wire, tore down the fencing, overwhelmed National Guard members, and made a mad rush into the United States. Isn’t it interesting how Democrat judges will find magical “bureaucratic filing errors” when it helps hundreds of illegal aliens, yet conservatives have the book thrown at them for wrongthink.

8 May 24

Few things in this world upset me more than witnessing unworthy scum-bags desecrating/vandalizing our nation’s national monuments, particularly our war memorials!

 These craven buffoons, none of whom ever served their country, are unfit to stand in the shadow of heroes who fought and died, along-side me, in Vietnam!

 Their lawless, disrespectful vandalism is tolerated only because we have cowardly college presidents, city mayors, and assorted other contemptible “officials,” who are no better.

 “Posterity!

 You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom!  

I hope you will make good use of it.  

If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the pains to preserve it!”

 John Adams, 1814

 /John

This is not “protest” : Pro-Hamas protesters took out their frustration on Old Glory and American heroes from World War I with no police in sight after failing to disrupt the Met Gala Monday night.  The agitators vandalized a 107th Infantry Memorial in Central Park. The base was defaced with hideous graffiti reading “Gaza” in large black letters. Other terror supporters vandalized the statue’s soldiers with stickers of the Palestinian flag that read “Stop the Genocide. End the apartheid. Free Palestine.” Some of the agitators climbed atop the statue and draped the flag of terrorism over the figures. This is not “protest”, this is desecration, vandalism, and destruction. And does their “cause” no good. Storyteller

Happy Sams

Last week I had a story about a minister and his attempted shooter. Reminded me of my experience……………….

Captain Revenge always figured he’d give me enough rope to really hang myself. It never worked, but he kept trying.  I guess he figured the other times were just flukes.

He calls me into his office and explains how much faith and confidence he has in me, because now he’s got a really “special” assignment, just for me.

We had just started the 9 week mids cycle, 10:30 pm to 7:15 am. For the rest of that cycle, I would do nothing but cruise late night areas, except Hotel Street and Waikiki areas. I was to stay out of those areas.

I was to check bars, restaurants, parking lots, and other late night open establishments. If I was in the “immediate” area of an “in progress” call I could respond, but otherwise I was to observe, make “on view” arrests, and he wanted a full “To-From” report at the end of every shift detailing where I was at all times, who I spoke to, and what information I had gathered.

He would be the sole judge of my performance. Again, enough rope to hang myself.

So night after night that’s what I did.  I patrolled the strip club parking lots. I talked to bar owners and late night restaurant managers. I did not go into Waikiki or Hotel Street areas. I did not go to the big restaurants and bars. And every morning I put a typed report on the Captain’s desk.

The 1^st one was something like 6 pages. They got bigger almost every night. In a month, 15 pages were the usual.

I also got wanted vehicle and warrant lists from records and dispatch. That was my idea.

Now my nightly reports also included stolen vehicle operator arrests, outstanding warrant arrests, and a load of usable information for the detectives. Let’s face it; sleazy bars need love and protection too.

One of those little sleazy bars was “Happy Sam’s” on Kapahulu. Sam’s had been through a number of evolution’s over the years but at this time was just a small hostess bar on the outskirts of Waikiki, outskirts being the optimum word.

The owner, a middle aged Korean lady who called herself, well Sam, was nice enough. She didn’t encourage her girls to rip off customers or try to sell way over-priced “champagne”.

The clientele was mostly neighborhood men, sometimes couples, and the hostess’ were mostly girls trying to pick up a little extra money with a couple of Sam’s relatives called in on Friday and Saturday or whenever the club got really busy during sports nights.

A nice clean neighborhood hostess bar, sometimes strangers would wonder in, stay or not. Sam’s had a pretty regular group. Good drinkers that could walk home or would use a cab. No problems. Sam, and her bartenders and hostess’ always seemed glad to see me and always treated me with courtesy and respect.

No trouble at Sam’s.

Which made it even more surprising when dispatch called me to report the manager of Happy Sam’s had called requesting my assistance with a customer.

I wasn’t too far away, told dispatch I’d respond, and another area officer, Bobby L. says he’ll back me up.

Bobby and I got there about the same time. As I got out of my vehicle, a customer walks out the front door, and starts across the street.

I look into the club and Sam is pointing at the customer walking away. Pointing furiously and speaking Korean, of course.

I told Bobby to talk to the guy walking away. Get some ID or something to hold him till I talk to Sam.

Bobby walked across the street toward the departing male. I walked to the front door and there met Sam and one of her girls.

The hostess was jabbering away. Of course, in Korean and Sam was trying to tell me in English. Finally, I heard one word clearly “gun”. And the hostess is rubbing her hand around the back of her hip like someone was hugging her and patting her right hip. But I heard “gun” loud and clear.

I looked across the street and the former customer had been stopped by Bobby. The customer had his back to me, and Bobby was still talking so I started across the street as fast as I could without actually running.

As I approached, I heard Bobby demand some ID. It appeared it wasn’t the first time Bobby had asked for it. The customer reached his right hand behind his hip as if reaching for a wallet. But from my vantage point I could see the outline of a wallet, in his left rear pocket. As his right hand reached under his shirt I could see a small holster, hidden by his shirt, at the back of his hip.

As he pulled the gun, a small semi-auto pistol, I was right behind him.

I yelled “Gun” to Bobby, grabbed the guy’s right hand, and pulled it hard, against my chest, and bullet proof vest.

Bobby was a serious weightlifter and had big biceps. At my yell, Bobby didn’t even hesitate; he just threw a right-hand punch. The sound of his fist impacting the guy’s head was almost louder than the “click” of the guns hammer falling. Almost.

As I had grabbed the gun, his grip had pulled back the trigger. The gun was later identified as a Colt Junior, a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol with an external hammer, and it had a round in the chamber. Because the “junior” didn’t have a grip safety, it didn’t require a complete grip to fire. But it hadn’t fired. It just went click. The round didn’t fire.

Bobby’s punch had knocked the guy unconscious and as his body collapsed on the ground. I stood there holding his hand and the gun tightly to my chest.

When he saw what I was holding Bobby’s knees sagged just a little but he was right back and pulled out cuffs. We cuffed the guy, I put the gun in my pocket, and we had to almost drag him to Bobby’s vehicle.

Once we got him secured in the vehicle cage Bobby called for a sector supervisor, a detective, and ambulance for our “customer”. I cleared and locked up the gun and we started the investigation fun.

Sorting out what Sam and the hostess had to say was as I guessed, confusing. The hostess had sat down next to the customer, he bought her a drink, and when she slid her arm around his waist she felt the holstered gun.

She tried not to alert the guy, so she kept smiling and told Sam in Korean, what was up. The customer may have spoken some Korean or may have just spooked, but he walked out without finishing his beer. That’s when we got there.

The customer turned out to be a Marine stationed in Kaneohe. A search of his vehicle turned up a K-bar knife, a smoke grenade, and an explosive grenade simulator which is basically a very large firecracker.

Basically, the detectives took over from there. Bobby and I went back to type our reports.

At the end of that watch, 7 weeks later, the next shift Commander also assigned units to check the bars, parking lots and restaurants. To do what I had done for those long weeks. Two men units were assigned after that. They were assigned to succeed, not hang themselves. And of course, Captain Revenge received an attaboy letter for coming up with the idea.

Shortly after the Happy Sam’s incident, Bobby was picked to transfer to a plain clothes unit from which he eventually became an investigator for the City and County Prosecutors Office under Charles Marsland.

I don’t know what happened to the “customer”. I tried to follow up with the detectives and was told the case had been “passed upward” whatever the hell that meant.

At the end of that 9 weeks the Captain, put me back into the patrol pool and I spent the next 2 cycles patrolling the area around Hawaii Kai, Sandy Beach, and Hanauma Bay. Basically, the ass end of district 1. But at least I was away from the Captain.

I’ve heard that “click” in my nightmares in the years since, sometimes it goes off. Well, it is just a nightmare.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Well, that settle’s it: Well know scholar and self made idiot Kathy Griffin says Stormy Daniel “Does not lie and will not lie”. This comes from a person that admits she meow’s like a cat and moo’s like a cow during her “yoga”. This to help her with her TIPTSD (Trump Induced PTSD).

Never let them forget: “You’re willing to walk among us unvaxed, you are the enemy”, Gene Simmons; “Who gets the ICU bed? A vaccinated person, come right in. An unvaccinated person who gobbled horse goo, rest in peace”, Jimmy Kimmel ; “Screw your freedom”, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Don’t you forget them, their lies, and what they REALLY think about you.

Gor for a cruise, it’ll be fun they said:  A cruise ship,  the Meraviglia,  has pulled  into NYC  harbor bearing a gruesome cargo in the form of a huge, 44’ long, dead whale sprawled across its bow. The incident happened on Saturday, and the event is being held by some as further evidence of the unfortunate impact on sea life that large vessels can have. (AND) Angela Bridges was aboard the Carnival Venezia cruise ship with her family, including son Aiden, en route to New York City from the Caribbean when he fell seriously ill, concerning the medical team on board. At the time of the critical medical incident, the ship was outside of North Carolina and more than 350 nautical miles off the coast. The 920th Rescue Wing of the Air Force, consisting of two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, two HC-130J Combat King II aircraft and two teams of combat rescue officers and pararescuemen had to fly to the ship’s position to safely extract the patient for transport to the nearest capable medical center. In other words, I’ll pass.

I commented on this in the past: U.S. House Republicans passed a bill Wednesday to add a citizenship question to the census and exclude noncitizens from the official headcount when determining population for representation in Congress and electoral votes. They have 37 ways to determine your “ethnic background” but not one on your citizenship. Time to fix that.

The check was in the mail: A recent audit revealed tens of thousands of pieces of delayed or undelivered mail at a single Minnesota post office. The audit was conducted at the Bemidji Post Office by the USPS Office of the Inspector General with its findings released on Monday. Last year, there were reported concerns about increased package volume disrupting mail service. Did you know there are over 1,200 ARMED Postal Inspectors? Hmmmm.