Terrorist Driver (Won’t name him again) could have used the materials available at the Home Depot where he rented the truck to ……Fortify, as it were, the front end of the truck,,,,which would have allowed him to do much more damage for a longer time.

It isn’t like he was gonna get his damage deposit back anyway.

A drill, a set of bits, some 4 x 4’s and some carriage bolts and an hour or so would have made the front of the truck much more substantial.

It’s a good thing he either couldn’t do it or didn’t think of this.

(I’m posting this only because I think the likelihood of a Jihadist/AlohaSnackbar type being a follower of my blog is very low, and if they are, then they are smart enough that they’ve already considered this)

So some folks feel unsafe because of a plaque.

Fuckin’ Snowflakes.

Fuck ’em.

It is history.

“The plaques in our sanctuary make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome,” leaders said, a reference to the fact that Washington was a slaveholder.

Christ, what has our society become? Is it all Goodspeak/Badspeak that runs our society anymore?
Y’know, George Orwell wasn’t supposed to be a prophet. 

So folks have finally figured out that a truck, with lots of mass and an engine with lots of power, can be used as a weapon. (Not that anyone who has driven a truck like that hasn’t figured that out).

Sadly, it was used on a bike path in Central Park in New York.

Amazingly only 6 dead.

It would appear that the terror that has happened in Europe has indeed come here, even if on a smaller scale. Plus the dude did cry “Aloha Snackbar!”…..or something which sounded like that.

I expect to see calls for limits on horsepower on trucks. No one needs 400 horsepower in normal use . There is no sporting use for 400 horsepower 6000 pound trucks. Drivers of such trucks should be specially trained and licensed. Nobody needs that kind of horsepower to haul 2 x 4’s or drywall.

(Please note that in New York this is a BIG TRUCK. In “Flyover Country” this is normal truck, driven daily for farm or construction use…..or just because we like ’em).  And, oddly, few of those thousands of trucks go on a rampage. It is, of course, the user, not the tool.

My thoughts and prayers for the victims and those affected by this.

ETA: the suspect, Sayfullo Saipov is reported to be from Uzbekisan. His photo makes him look like a fundamentalist.

I am surprised that they admitted that it was terror and that it was a muslim, especially so quickly. 

I had to go to a court today, to testify as to someone’s whereabouts in a murder case from 4 years ago.

Sitting, waiting, outside the courtroom for 2 hours was…interesting.

I, being white, was in the minority. Being a male…dressed well, also made me a minority. Hell, having shaved that week did so…..

Lots of nice people there though, (I listened to a lot of stories waiting) most of whom just got crossed up because they can’t follow the rules of society, or have impulse issues. Most were willing to do what was necessary to stay out of trouble, they just COULDN’T do it.

Things like show up at court, pay their fines, register their car, stay sober, not steal, etc. Couldn’t afford their car registration, but had $300 sneakers. (Sneakers in court?)

Some took the time to dress well, or at least try. Some ladies wore what was obviously their best attire, even though it was not suited for a courtroom, but more for a club….At least they tried.

Lots of men who obviously didn’t bother. Weren’t willing to try and impress the judge at all. I look better than that when I am working in the yard. I wondered, for a while if it was just because it was Halloween….

And, as I said, I was a minority, race wise. Only folks who looked like me were the clerks and attorneys.

Yes, I know, pointing this out makes me a racist.

And security was a joke. If you can smuggle a cell phone in (and there were LOTS of those), you can smuggle a fairly big knife or a small pistol. Ask me how I know…..

Winds 270 @14 gusting 34.

Not good for landing practice, really. Not even though it was straight down the runway. Not until I can do a decent non gusting landings.

Which, sadly, I can’t….yet.

So, at a towered airport (Class D).

Call for clearance, get it…. am on 1 mile final. Tower warns another aircraft to HOLD SHORT like 4 times on a taxiway leading to a crossing runway. I approach, do a touch and go, and depart to the right. He’s still being held. 3 other aircraft call for clearance to land, she gives permission and they do so…Dude is still waiting to taxi. Another aircraft is cleared in and he is STILL waiting.

I think he pissed off the controller. She sounded angry when talking to him.

I departed the area and switched frequencies and he was still waiting as I did so. At least 12 minutes.

I wonder if he ever got clearance to move? Or if he ran out of fuel waiting……?

I learned a very valuable lesson there:
Don’t piss off the controller. 

If you are selling an accessory, say an auxiliary light for trucks, one might think that providing SOME sort of dimensions, or (even better) a basic mechanical drawing of the exterior of the light case would be a big part of the information one should provide on the website…..or, failing that, a link to said drawings wherein one could find out if the item is of a size and depth that would work…..

It’s not like such a bit of information would take up that much server space, nor would it be difficult to put into a website along with all the pretty pictures….

So now the NAACP is suggesting a “Travel Warning” for American Airlines to all black passengers.

Cites “Troubling Trend” of incidents with black passengers.

Do you believe that American is prejudiced? That they would dare have a coporate policy to discriminate?

Plus, my first touch and go at a towered airport. (class D).
I am learning how important airspeed is at touchdown, as I was cautioned by a commentor several posts back.

But I’m learning, if slowly.

Soon.