Saturday Rant

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ancona

Praying Mantis
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So, thank God it’s Saturday. After this past week, I truly began to wonder if people are not going completely fucking insane. After some of the usual government paperwork bullshit, I had a prime contractor we are under contract with actually approach the government, point out some obscure passage in our specifications [last used at the Salem Witch Trials] and demand that the government demand that my firm comply with an insane paperwork submission, requiring thirty of my administrative hours, and serving absolutely zero constructive purpose. Shit like this simply cannot be made up, and it happens to me more times than I care to recount. Suffice it to say, I was beyond angry, actually I became [uncharacteristically violent]. I approached this fucktard and cornered him in their office trailer, and with no back-up, proceeded to explain to him exactly how displeased I was with his actions, and attempt to educate him about working in the “real world” versus working for the government [he is a recent lay-off/buyout from NASA Safety]. Well, needless to say, he was unwilling to peer over the side of the box, within which he has resided for thirty years, and simply cowered behind his mound of paper, you know, the paper behind which people like that hide when they have no defense? More than anything, I wanted to vent my anger and frustration with a massive haymaker to the skull, while simultaneously going crazy spider monkey on this jackass. Needless to say, Mr. Rational took control and I merely stormed out, slamming every door in my wake with enough force to dislodge framed certificates and ego oriented diplomas from the trailer walls. My ire was now known by all.
After leaving DogBoy to his specifications and paper cuts, I proceeded to Safety to demand an explanation. As usual, it was kind of like trying to herd cats, so I quickly changed gears and broke the chain of command, and approached the contracting officer, with whom I enjoy a personal relationship on a completely different level, in an attempt to cut through the bullshit. The CO, a firm believer in streamlining, then called DogBoy and explained that NASA did in fact NOT want this unnecessary paperwork, and if he continued to press the subject, he would demand he be replaced with someone willing to “work with NASA on solutions” instead of being a fucking problem. Well, in the end, DogBoy backed off, but I pissed off the one guy who can and will step on my dick on a daily basis. I’ll keep you informed during the next three months of performance on this project.

This experience is outside the norm in commercial construction and environmental remediation circles, as the Owner is always looking to streamline the process to save money. At the government level, I am constantly reminded that “public servants” could give a shit less how much it costs, so long as “my76 job” isn’t affected. Just try and get someone to push a fucking button or make a decision..…..I dare you. They are taught that with powert, comes the possibility that your head could end up on a plate with garnish, so no one is willing to make a hard decision or move a process along faster than a turd rolling up-hill.
OK, so I survived my encounters early in the week, and my neighbors have been so quiet as to make it unnaturally quiet around my house, almost spooky. I guess that’s OK for now.

I come home and turn on the news. Mistake number two. Already agitated, I listened to some bobble-head with a fucking wry smile talk about how this Zimmerman guy “is guilty of murder”, without so much as having read the police report, seeing all the video evidence, reading the paramedics report after having treated Zimmerman for injuries during the events leading to the shot fired and on and on and on. Exactly when did our country decide that it was our right to try and convice a man on snippets of information, gained through a sound-bite on TV? He’s “guilty”? Really? Well……that’s news to me!! Unless I woke up in Nazi fucking Germany today, we are all innocent until proven guilty. Period. I am sick and tired of watching ‘perp walks’ on TV, as suspects are paraded in front of cameras to be convicted by the court of public opinion. We have the usual race baiting riot hustlers, Jackson and Sharpton being joined by our mother fucking president for Christ’s sake! What the hell!?!?!?! The POTUS needs to be the one to tell everyone to keep the fuck calm until the facts have been analyzed by the authorities and interviews of witnesses have been completed. Why is it that when a black kid is involved in violence, and the opposition is white, that all of a sudden it is ALWAYS racism? What about the other 85% of crimes committed every day by a small minority of the population; African American men between the ages of 12 and 35? What about the Hispanic kid who got beat nearly to death in California this week while walking home from the store? Where the hell are Jesse and the President on this one? It seems to me that the President has more important things on his plate to comment on than some thug who was shot after an altercation. Oh…….he wasn’t a thug? Really? His twitter handle was No limit nigga, and he had a rap sheet that includes violent attacks and drugs. Of course, the MSM simply ignores this while fanning the flames of racial tension in the name of ratings. It doesn’t matter that there are facts that haven’t been released to protect both Trayvon and Zimmerman, it only matters that they have a four year old picture of a chubby cheeked young boy with a cherubic smile, not the picture of a snarling thug, which Drudge had the courage to print.

I am so completely withdrawn from this bullshit that I really don’t care anymore. We have the DHS buying 450 million rounds of ammunition, and I simply no longer care. When do the executions begin? I don’t know and no longer care. We have the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare, which is so clearly unconstitutional that to rule it legal will destroy any remaining faith that we actually have a functioning constitutional republic. I just don’t care anymore either way. Fuck it and bury it.

All I care about anymore is my family and our survival. Period. I see now that there is nothing that an individual can do to stem the rising tide of government intervention in to our lives. I see there is nothing I can do as and individual to effect change. All I can do is continue to hammer my representatives to do the right thing in the Congress. That’s it.

I think I will just keep on prepping, stacking and storing, because I see the acceleration of our republic’s demise, yet those who would be in a position to effect change and rescue us from an untimely demise are so captured by the military industrial complex and corporate interests that it is impossible to even hope they will do what is necessary for our long term survival, because they are far too interested and focused on their short term gains.
May God save us all.
Sorry about the rant.
 
Well, if his neighbors are as bad as he says, they're well on the way to self-elimination, kind of like the financial system - it just takes awhile.

I could do several of this type rant myself, but basically, the same sort of thing is why I no longer suckle at government (or related) tit at all. It just became not worth it to me as soon as I had my other stuff partly squared away.

Typical.
The government has various "flavors" of money. One type, the hardest to get and justify, is pure research - or one level down as in "see if this is possible in practice, since theory says so". As you go farther and farther down, the money is easier to get - not counting ridiculous paperwork, that is.

As a result, in collusion with the government guy, we were most often trying to get second tier or lower money - which is supposed to be "take prototype and make the first real working one" - and doing pure research with it. So, we have to write proposals, complete with exotic response-matrixes, that show we've already solved whatever it is, and now just need to build one - and figure out how to do both jobs for one job money (not that it wasn't a lot of money).

A situation frequently arises where what looked good on proposal/RFP paper just will not fly once you try it and have the benefit of hindsight. (Did I mention we weren't allowed to charge the gov for doing the proposal and other paperwork?). So, being honest, we go back to the gov guy and show him - this cannot work, but with what we learned trying - we think this other approach will, now that the hindsight has kicked in.

The response is uniformly - no way. You'll make me (the gov guy) look like an idiot for having given you the money in the first place. So, go according to plan A, spend all that money, fail, write up a new proposal, we'll grant that (in a couple years hence) and then we can do it right - you gotta cover my gov ass on this.

This reason alone is why my fusion work is world leading - when something doesn't work and it becomes obvious why, hell, it's my money, we stop doing that instantly and go with what works instead - wash, rinse, repeat. You cannot do this when in a gov contract, period, unless you get that rare and very special top tier money (which is all influence and politics - Einstein got that flavor for example, now prove you're as good, not much chance). Boeing gets that flavor - but not the subcontractors that actually do the work and have the brains, unless Boeing feels like it (rare).

An awful lot of things in gov are CYA - the mantra is never make a big obvious mistake, not "do the best you can". Just the stick, no carrot.

This in fact explains a lot of the "security theater" the DHS/TSA are doing. They know damn well they're not making us safe. They also know that if something bad happens despite their efforts - they can show they tried really hard, even if that try was completely stupid. Did we check shoes before some idiot tried to light his, or underwear? No, in fact they've not stopped a single terrorism attack, and what they do constitutes terrorism itself. But if the bad shit goes down - their bureaucratic ass is covered.

Bruce Schneier was invited to testify at the congressional hearings on TSA, but the TSA got him kicked off the witness list, because they could not answer his points on this, and as we know, any congressional hearing is just a photo-op for the next election, so both the judged and the judges don't want truth - it makes them look like idiots for giving out the money in the first place, just like when you're developing some spy gear or weapons - that just won't fly as an excuse.

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/03/congressional_t.html - Bruce kicked out.

But he gets heard in public, anyway - as long as it's in UK it's fine.

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/03/harms_of_post-9.html

So, when did it become OK to be so blatantly not in the service of the taxpayers, but just the bureaucrats job security? In fact, in conservative estimates, the TSA has actually spent billions and increased the number of deaths. Read and weep.

Not you, ancona - you're getting too much of a front row seat as is!
 
Oh dear

Every time i read one of your rants Ancona, i appreciate the entertainment you offer us but am saddened by the anger that seems to be bubbling just below the surface.

I wish i could get you to see how most of the things that make you angry, really dont matter enough to get angry about.

Yeah, go and talk to the cause of your setback and then go over his head if you dont get the result but when i see someone loosing it and letting rip, my biggest problem is keeping a straight face, cos my amusement simply pours petrol onto their fire.

Now if you can develop the skill of seeming to be 'mr angry' but actually just testing the resistance, then you are totally in control and have my full respect.

When you get this angry you harm yourself, as the anger uses up good energy and releases bad chemistry that has your immune system working harder.

When you can 'let it go', you no longer need to.
( misquoted from some old Buddhist thinking )


give my love to your neighbours, by the way (-;
 
Rblong2us,
Actually my friend, I am probably the easiest going person at the Space Center. I get my frustrations and anger out by writing about it, which maybe lends the appearance that I am not in control all the time. That is quite far from the actual truth. That this guy was able to "push my buttons" was an anomaly, and is not the norm for the Ancona. This pecker head spent the last eight weeks doing the paper shuffle with me, all because it entertains him and he is able to get away with it to some degree. Well, I finally called him to the carpet on his fucking crap, and I won. There is just so much shit I am willing to suck up before I go rogue, and this guy found out how much. When the Prime Contractor gets on your side over an employee, you know that you have truly won. This Djiblottie will now be subject to MY whims, and when [not if] he colors outside of the lines, I will be there to point it out.

I do not advocate for or approv e of workplace violence, but when I have been pushed too far, simply because someone has the authority to crush my nuts, not because there is any value added to a project, then I come back at you. When normal paths are blocked by virtue of a power freak controlling traffic, then I do what I have to do.

Just to be clear, if I destroyed this douchebag, my job would disappear, even though I am Vice President, it would simply disappear. As far as I am concerned, when my person or honor is called out, I will answer irrespective of consequences.

So I retire a few years before planned. I can handle that if it means my honor and values remain intact. Oh yeah, and my sanity........I forgot that little gem.
 
ok, now i can 'allow' your anger, because you are dumping it on me (-:

and i consider it a privilege to take on this role.

I apologise as my assumption that you were constantly close to anger, was just that.



Having my integrity challenged is possibly the only thing that could get me excited.

My first thought would be that as its someone making a judgement call, its likely telling me more about them ( cos almost everyone makes judgement about others, based on their standards )

Only took me 40 years to work this out ........

ooommmmmmm
 
I do have to say, that as a much younger and less mature guy, kicking in a VP's office door after he'd repeatedly insulted me (because I couldn't explain to him in words of one syllable or less what I was doing so he could take credit for it) was certainly the most satisfying way of quitting I've ever done.

The look on the faces of these milque-toast paper pushers who don't mind doing psychological violence but have never experienced the real deal - and real consequences for their BS before - was something I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Knocked that door right into the meeting's laps. Funny.
I don't get that way now, but it was worth it the once.

Somewhere in some martial arts course I took - I forget who to credit here - someone taught me that while the appearance of being really angry can give you power - actually getting angry just screws you up, makes you do stupid stuff - clouds your ability to observe minute cues that will win you a fight (or better, avoid one), and the smooth confidence to execute your moves. The object is to make the the other guy irrational, while remaining rational yourself, just like trading.

Thankfully, I've not needed to resort to actual violence (physical or mental) in a good long time, or even the explicit threat of either. I like it that way. I suspect that all those shooting trophies send enough of a message to those who'd require that, but have no way to really know. I generally look for the "everyone wins" non-zero-sum solutions to problems, which wards off that junk before it can get going, it's a good plan for living and a lot less stress. But it can be hard to pull off at times...
 
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...
I wish i could get you to see how most of the things that make you angry, really dont matter enough to get angry about.
...

Not sure I entirely agree there. Anyone who has taken the red pill and is awake - seeing what's happening and where things are trending - should be getting angry about the future. Especially anyone with kids (whose future is going to be rather challenging).

I could see how recognition of impotence to affect the things that really matter could manifest in rage when someone is faced with a similar dynamic on a more personal level.

Ancona has a strong spirit. Just keep it channeled bud. A strong spirit can be very self-destructive if it isn't guided by wisdom.
 
I do channel it Bug, with my writing. You wouldn't be able to pick me out of a crowd, but I am completely and irretrievably awake. I have given up trying to convince others that the storm is brewing and becoming more intense by the day, because I feel we are at a point where the shit could hit the fan at any time.

The domino's are in place, and it will take but a nudge to start them in motion.

Will it be Spain? Portugal? Italy?

Will it be the collapse of a systemically important bank or bank holding company? Will it be civil collapse? How about the total freeze up of the credit system as a result of rampant money printing? How about war in Iran?

When I think of all the possible ways it could start it makes my fucking head spin, so I try and think about pleasant things instead, like target shooting, canning pumpkin and tomatoes, tending our chickens and watching my kid grow in to her own person.

We can no more control when it all blows up than pick a winning combination of lottery numbers, so why let it eat a hole in my soul? No, I simply write my frustrations down and share them with whomever will listen, there really is nothing more that can be done.

I am now, and will remain prepared for whatever ugliness comes my way, yet I will only open up about my preps to others in my local cooperative [very loosely put that is]. We have a tontine amongst our little group to serve and help one another when the storm hits our shores, and have prepared appropriately. There is a holistic medicine woman in our group, a dentist, an engineer, organic gardeners, and animal husbandry expert. We are all prepared for anything from hurrficanes to high order civil unrest, to a carrington type event. Will we live in the lap of luxury? Actually, in relative terms, yes.

We will have electricity, fresh water and since we are all on septic systems, we will be able to flush our toilets and have the waste water actually go somewhere. We are armed.......well armed and supplied. We have two thousand ball jars between us and enough lids and rings to last until the Rapture. We actually use the jars now, and regularly swap fresh herbs, veggies, fruits, jams and eggs. Anyone here who has not prepped should start now, before it is too late. There is a list floating around the web called, The Hundred Things That Will Disappear During Emergencies. I suggest you all have a look at it. Many of those things which are ubiquitous and cheap today, disappear tomorrow. Think Bic lighters, think matches, think zip-lock freezer bags, think trash can liners, think anything disposable.

Bars of soap? Gone. Clorox? Gone. Multivitamins, Ibuprophen, Antacid tablets? Gone.

A guy named Ferfal went through societal collapse and wrote all about it. I recommend reading it.
 
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Not sure I entirely agree there. Anyone who has taken the red pill and is awake - seeing what's happening and where things are trending - should be getting angry about the future. Especially anyone with kids (whose future is going to be rather challenging).

And i fully accept this view, Bug.
However i have found it possible to move on from the outrage and anger that comes from taking the red pill, by working out what is important and what isnt.
I have quite a bit of prepping done and a couple of great locations to play on but there was much self doubt in the early days and it was easy back then to get angry with the bad guys for fookin up the planet for everyone.
My (now grown up) kids know where my head is but for the moment they choose to run a bit closer to the 'norm'. They will not be taken by surprise if / when TSHTF but may not be as ready as they could be. But then why should they worry when i am busy prepping ... ***kin kids ... you never quite get rid of em :wave:

Choose to enjoy what you do and if you dont enjoy it, find another way or even another job. Make it fun for the kids rather than a 'scary times ahead' threat.

As DCF keeps saying, have fun .......

And Ancona

respect for the prepping and community building you have done.
I have a waay to go in this department and tend to try and cover all the skills myself, by learning a little bit about lots of em.

Generalist rather than specialist. ie jack of all trades, master of none.

But I can get a flushing toilet system working anywhere :doodoo:
 
Ancona, I have my share of beancounters to deal with too. :flail:

One conclusion I have come to is that the beancounters need find or "invent" beans to count in order to feel important.

But when it means lengthening my day with useless tasks, then it is time to drop the Ancona hammer on them.
 
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Very nice thread pmbug fans.

ancona, "Non illegitimi carborundum" -- Don't let the bastards get you down. .gov types are some of the worst scum I have seen inside the criminal community (I meant what I just wrote).

DCFusor, I liked that observation about appearing to be angry, I do not get angry much, but I will have to try that trick when the time comes...

rbelong2us rbelong2us! Or would it be that all of us rbelong2thekids? Hmm... :wave:

Unobtanium, "The Ancona Hammer", nice term!
 
Tiny snippet of Sean using the trick in Rising Sun.


Rats, couldn't find the whole scene in which he tells Snipes what he did there and why. In this case Sean *pretends* to lose control in order to give the other guy "face" to accede to his demands.
Pretty good movie about cross cultural mind games in general.
 
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