Polite Politics

[roadtonowhere08]

2 hours ago, SnarkyGoblin said:

La campagne!  I have family in Normandy who have a small fruit and vegetable farm they sell at farmers markets (Dieppe and smaller villages).  Love going there.

Wet AF but super green and fertile land.

Hers is from Alsace.  Wine and crops over there.  I was blown away when I first went and saw so many corn fields.  I guess I thought it would be more forested and such.  Gotta go south to the Jura region for what I thought I would see.

52 minutes ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

Sounds like your wife's family is from the "good" part of France

 

It's really too bad, Paris has a lot of beautiful places,  I got to see all of the standard tourist sites, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, even went out to Versailles.  All very beautiful/amazing. 

Aside from uppity corporate clowns, you never really got into your grievances toward Paris and France in general.  I'll bet it's the berets, oui?

[MossMan]

[SnarkyGoblin]

Nothing riles up the hateful gop base more than a good culture war

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/us/politics/transgender-conservative-campaign.html?unlocked_article_code=J1UuFn0r-GlV4nD5pUU9JOnT23irWbQFNkkL8LNiGoTiFp4y2Y3iui_ASHDHBiH5Dj-IQFE83FrawM6vYp_0RD3UM1H3-MdKdwFDvywjEBlThKkHDI_8CsEh6k1QnhI_dE5tFafRuXupLO979YfHctTZGVbj4Xc9Me4tuCfzXATlLE0RIOcmyqpEhsXId-_W9w0_wD-LkaVm1P4nKHwmb0o5Kz_mlVvLOx4r71j1E6q0fgLCgNCfvA77N4OMD2VlkOUWxkCH6_TzEJRO6vxTJoHvQNYtIC47PzOquhKGOJntX-K5ToMMS2AyQAapVJOWB7BikmrEgJ08VUDuvs7X2AxNyFjfoqbHLkobaEm_zQ

[SnarkyGoblin]

From an election blog I follow that does q&a on Sundays:

D.S.R. in Tempe, AZ, asks: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

I am very curious to learn what the staff historian thinks about those 27 words?

(V) & (Z) answer: The staff historian thinks that the fellows who wrote the Constitution practiced great economy of language, for various reasons, and never, ever put extraneous details into the document. Ipso facto, it is evident to anyone who has even a passing familiarity with their thought processes that they (and James Madison in particular) intended to tie gun ownership to militia service. If all they wanted was for people to be able to own guns, they would have written "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed," and left it at that, the way they also wrote, for example, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" without adding any additional details.

[Andie]

Madison didn’t address the people at the time using rifles to hunt and eat either.   
He didn’t anticipate hunters in the future that do the same, regardless of well stocked grocers. 
He kept it simple and was a man of his times.  
There will always be idiots out there be it Gun or  knives.  Are they going to take away knives?  That’ll make it pretty rough in the kitchen. 

My entire family hunts.  They eat what the take.  No waste and no one even entertains using their firearms for any other reason.  
Besides, every nation that has made firearms illegal has become either a dictatorship as in China and Russia or on the ragged edge of one.  Must have something to do with absolute power corrupting absolutely….hmmm, I think I’ve heard that somewhere.   Man isn’t a peaceful creature. Bottom line. 

[Reg]

On 4/14/2023 at 9:07 AM, Rubus Leucodermis said:

Meh. If leaks spelled the end of the US empire, it would have died many decades ago.

The big shock was this information leaking out, not that the US government was collecting it in the first place. Gentlemen do in fact read each others’ mail, all the time, in the world of international relations.

I never said this leak was the end of the US empire, but this leak is certainly is a large step in that direction. 

On 4/14/2023 at 9:39 AM, SnarkyGoblin said:

Does it not give you pause that you are on the same page with the likes of Don Jr and Marjorie Taylor Greene?

Maybe for once in my life that is true here, but it ends there - Don Jr and MTG are ideologically opposed to me in almost every single other possible way, so I am not worried about being temporarily allied with the occasional right-winger in this case. 

On 4/13/2023 at 7:52 PM, SnarkyGoblin said:

you lose a lot of credibility saying stuff like this.  you know D**n well that's not true.

? I believe full-well in what I said. I am not sure what you think I am knowingly lying about...?

On 4/13/2023 at 7:59 PM, SnarkyGoblin said:

It's interesting that you have so much to say about the war without ever talking about literally the only aggressor in said war.

Very strange.

Russia is the aggressor on the ground, this is true, and their annexations of Ukrainian territory are illegal under international law - but I still believe the US could have easily prevented this war and deliberately chose not to do so, therefore I hold them responsible, especially given their history. Also the US has essentially set the standard for how well "international law" is respected.

[Reg]

On 4/14/2023 at 1:42 PM, MossMan said:

Mr. Snowmizer brought up an interesting topic over on the weather thread…Due to Washington State no longer selling (or banning? I haven’t looked into it) semi automatic guns that he will be uprooting from both of his properties and leaving the state…Got me thinking…What would it take for me to leave the state…The banning of owning dogs? I can’t really think of anything else offhand. The going to all electric things has me a bit pissed but I think we are a ways off with that and I will just buy a new gas powered truck/boat/jetski not long before the banning since they will most likely just ban new sales but you can still retain what you have for the life of said thing. 
I don’t know…I have lived here all of my life, love it here, and I just don’t care about politics at all. I also tend to think that for the most past things even out and the grass is not always greener on the other side. My wife wanted to move to Texas a few years ago because of the mask and vaccine thing here…I told her that in a year or so the masks and vaccines would be old news and that people would move on…And guess what…Nobody here really cares anymore about that. 
 

What would it take for you to leave your state? 

I would not leave my state at all costs - Syrian rebels did not just leave Syria during their uprising. Yemeni Houthis did not just leave when conflict arrived in Sanaa. California is my home, I have nowhere else to go, and I will defend it at all costs. Thing is, my enemy is not foreign, but domestic (except for Israel).

[SnarkyGoblin]

1 hour ago, Reg said:

I believe full-well in what I said. I am not sure what you think I am knowingly lying about...?

You believe Russia and Iran would treat their citizens who leak state secrets the same way as we do?  Are you for real?

[Andie]

2 hours ago, Reg said:

I would not leave my state at all costs - ... I have nowhere else to go, and I will defend it at all costs.

I concur wholeheartedly.  In this, we will always agree.

[Reg]

3 hours ago, SnarkyGoblin said:

You believe Russia and Iran would treat their citizens who leak state secrets the same way as we do?  Are you for real?

Yes. Iran might execute them, but I’d argue that’s more merciful.

[smerfylicious]

On 4/14/2023 at 1:42 PM, MossMan said:

Mr. Snowmizer brought up an interesting topic over on the weather thread…Due to Washington State no longer selling (or banning? I haven’t looked into it) semi automatic guns that he will be uprooting from both of his properties and leaving the state…Got me thinking…What would it take for me to leave the state…The banning of owning dogs? I can’t really think of anything else offhand. The going to all electric things has me a bit pissed but I think we are a ways off with that and I will just buy a new gas powered truck/boat/jetski not long before the banning since they will most likely just ban new sales but you can still retain what you have for the life of said thing. 
I don’t know…I have lived here all of my life, love it here, and I just don’t care about politics at all. I also tend to think that for the most past things even out and the grass is not always greener on the other side. My wife wanted to move to Texas a few years ago because of the mask and vaccine thing here…I told her that in a year or so the masks and vaccines would be old news and that people would move on…And guess what…Nobody here really cares anymore about that. 
 

What would it take for you to leave your state? 

It's an all-out ban. Looks to be the most restrictive in the country. 

That, the vaccine/mask issues, the ever-increasing tax burden, and the law they just passed that allows the state to not only not notify you of where your child is if they run away and are seeking "gender affirming care"...really has us looking at how to get out of this state.

Idaho or Montana are my preferred destinations. Maybe Utah or Wyoming. My wife keeps talking about Florida, but that's a non-starter to me with their lack of winter weather and overabundance of humidity.

[smerfylicious]

14 hours ago, SnarkyGoblin said:

From an election blog I follow that does q&a on Sundays:

D.S.R. in Tempe, AZ, asks: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

I am very curious to learn what the staff historian thinks about those 27 words?

(V) & (Z) answer: The staff historian thinks that the fellows who wrote the Constitution practiced great economy of language, for various reasons, and never, ever put extraneous details into the document. Ipso facto, it is evident to anyone who has even a passing familiarity with their thought processes that they (and James Madison in particular) intended to tie gun ownership to militia service. If all they wanted was for people to be able to own guns, they would have written "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed," and left it at that, the way they also wrote, for example, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" without adding any additional details.

The militia the 2nd amendment is alluding to isn't a state militia. It's every able-bodied male citizen. They were expected to be trained and prepared to be called in to service at any time, and to bring their own firearms to service.

What their answer is alluding to is disregarding the myriad of congressional minutes, journal entries, correspondences and interpretations from the people that negotiated and signed the Constitution into law. They were remarkably clear in that there are 2 separate parts to the 2nd amendment. 

The prefatory clause, which is what deals with the amorphous militia, and the operative clause which makes clear that the private individual has not only a right to keep arms but to bear them as well, and that right cannot be infringed by the government. 

The operative clause is not limited by the prefatory clause and vice versa. The operative clause was a clear rebuke of several attempts at gun restriction and confiscation perpetrated by the English going back to King James II.

[Deweydog]

50 minutes ago, smerfylicious said:

The militia the 2nd amendment is alluding to isn't a state militia. It's every able-bodied male citizen. They were expected to be trained and prepared to be called in to service at any time, and to bring their own firearms to service.

What their answer is alluding to is disregarding the myriad of congressional minutes, journal entries, correspondences and interpretations from the people that negotiated and signed the Constitution into law. They were remarkably clear in that there are 2 separate parts to the 2nd amendment. 

The prefatory clause, which is what deals with the amorphous militia, and the operative clause which makes clear that the private individual has not only a right to keep arms but to bear them as well, and that right cannot be infringed by the government. 

The operative clause is not limited by the prefatory clause and vice versa. The operative clause was a clear rebuke of several attempts at gun restriction and confiscation perpetrated by the English going back to King James II.

This activates my PTSD from a horrible debate class I took about 25 years ago. 

[Iceresistance]

Apparently, Putin is trying to start a Civil war in SUDAN so he can create a puppet nation in Africa!

I forgot the link, but it's on MSN and you can search "Putin's war has exploded into Sudan" to find it.

[SnarkyGoblin]

2 hours ago, Iceresistance said:

Apparently, Putin is trying to start a Civil war in SUDAN so he can create a puppet nation in Africa!

I forgot the link, but it's on MSN and you can search "Putin's war has exploded into Sudan" to find it.

Unsurprisingly, what the actual article says doesn't really align with what you are saying.  

Is Russia trying to get in on the sphere of influence in Africa like we and China are also doing by supplying things like military gear? (China being very successful)  Yes.

But that's a pretty far cry from Putin starting a civil war.  

One smidge of truth creating an entire narrative.  Same story, different day.

[Andie]

On 4/16/2023 at 11:16 AM, SnarkyGoblin said:

From an election blog I follow that does q&a on Sundays:

D.S.R. in Tempe, AZ, asks: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

I am very curious to learn what the staff historian thinks about those 27 words?

(V) & (Z) answer: The staff historian thinks that the fellows who wrote the Constitution practiced great economy of language, for various reasons, and never, ever put extraneous details into the document. Ipso facto, it is evident to anyone who has even a passing familiarity with their thought processes that they (and James Madison in particular) intended to tie gun ownership to militia service. If all they wanted was for people to be able to own guns, they would have written "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed," and left it at that, the way they also wrote, for example, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" without adding any additional details.

I was taught that the Founders believed that citizens owning arms were considered a Civilian army in the event of foreign invasion or civil war.  
Many in our civil war carried their own rifles.  It was also a means of acquiring food, which eventually became sport hunting.   
Attempting to seize weapons from US citizens today would not go well.  The Founders meant them to prevent the government from overwhelming its populace.  A system of checks and balances if you will.   
Lastly there are many unregistered guns in this country, purchased prior to the State/Fed requiring registration.  
So, it’s would be very difficult to take all firearms and those that have them keep and recycle plenty of ammo ( a practice since the end of WW2.)

[Rubus Leucodermis]

15 hours ago, smerfylicious said:

It's an all-out ban. Looks to be the most restrictive in the country.

Prompted by this discussion, I have been reading the text of the bill and it is not an all out ban of semiautomatic firearms. It is a ban of certain types of semiautomatic rifles (so-called assault weapons or assault rifles).

[Iceresistance]

8 hours ago, SnarkyGoblin said:

Unsurprisingly, what the actual article says doesn't really align with what you are saying.  

Is Russia trying to get in on the sphere of influence in Africa like we and China are also doing by supplying things like military gear? (China being very successful)  Yes.

But that's a pretty far cry from Putin starting a civil war.  

One smidge of truth creating an entire narrative.  Same story, different day.

The group (KSF?) has ties to the Wagner group, which has ties to Russia. He may be using that group to start the Civil War in Sudan, there is a possibility that he wants to create a puppet nation in Africa. But, we have yet to see the outcome of the Capitol attack.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

On 4/14/2023 at 1:42 PM, MossMan said:

Mr. Snowmizer brought up an interesting topic over on the weather thread…Due to Washington State no longer selling (or banning? I haven’t looked into it) semi automatic guns that he will be uprooting from both of his properties and leaving the state…Got me thinking…What would it take for me to leave the state…The banning of owning dogs? I can’t really think of anything else offhand. The going to all electric things has me a bit pissed but I think we are a ways off with that and I will just buy a new gas powered truck/boat/jetski not long before the banning since they will most likely just ban new sales but you can still retain what you have for the life of said thing. 
I don’t know…I have lived here all of my life, love it here, and I just don’t care about politics at all. I also tend to think that for the most past things even out and the grass is not always greener on the other side. My wife wanted to move to Texas a few years ago because of the mask and vaccine thing here…I told her that in a year or so the masks and vaccines would be old news and that people would move on…And guess what…Nobody here really cares anymore about that. 
 

What would it take for you to leave your state? 

That is a really good question. 

Probably the only thing that has made me consider leaving Oregon in the past 4-5 years has probably been the wildfires. So much has burned around here recently, it is kind of sad to see or even think about some of those places. Plus the 2020 wildfires were very traumatic for our family, and left us feeling a lot more vulnerable than we did before. My wife always did bring up the threat of wildfire, but I was never super worried about it given how much rain we get a year, and how in general most of the vegetation stays pretty green up here. In July 2018, which was a pretty hot/dry month, a smoldering lightning strike ignited a wildfire in the state park. It put off a ton of smoke, but was pretty easily contained at about 30 acres, even though it was in a very rugged area and it took fire crews over a day to reach it. I think that gave me a false sense of security, plus I had never experienced fire weather conditions up here like the east wind event on Labor Day. 

As for politics. I don't know, I have always been generally Republican, and live in a conservative area, but I am pretty used to Portland shoving whatever their agenda is down our throats. And I'm probably not as conservative or at least tied to the Republican party as I used to be.  

[SilverFallsAndrew]

On 4/16/2023 at 11:31 PM, smerfylicious said:

It's an all-out ban. Looks to be the most restrictive in the country. 

That, the vaccine/mask issues, the ever-increasing tax burden, and the law they just passed that allows the state to not only not notify you of where your child is if they run away and are seeking "gender affirming care"...really has us looking at how to get out of this state.

Idaho or Montana are my preferred destinations. Maybe Utah or Wyoming. My wife keeps talking about Florida, but that's a non-starter to me with their lack of winter weather and overabundance of humidity.

Yeah kudos to the governor of Florida, he's doing a great job, but Florida would be a horrible place to live IMO. I could potentially see having to relocate to another state due to the medical freedom issues. Not really my deal, but it is my wife's. Being "indigenous" has definitely helped her get around somethings (Like vaccine mandates.), but who knows how long that luck will last. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Please add caption. I'll start. 

Man terrified of threats. Real and imagined. 

[Deweydog]

1 hour ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Please add caption. I'll start. 

Man terrified of threats. Real and imagined. 

Person with elevated hair and glasses looks to his left while wearing a suit and respirator delivers a dirty old styrofoam cooler full of soft drinks to an old black dude with questionable posture in a fancy bingo hall.

[roadtonowhere08]

1 hour ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Please add caption. I'll start. 

It was at this point he realized that he was now part of the political machine where stunts matter more than policy or governing.  The thought of being in a group that includes names like Boebert and Taylor Greene sickens him... but not to the point where he puts down the coffin and does his job.

[Deweydog]

Bunch of rich lawyers got richer today. My kinda day!

[roadtonowhere08]

5 minutes ago, Deweydog said:

Bunch of rich lawyers got richer today. My kinda day!

I was hoping for the down and dirty, but that's not reality.  Fox got off EASY!!!  If the punishment does not inflict enough pain, expect business as usual.

[Chewbacca Defense]

42 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Yeah kudos to the governor of Florida, he's doing a great job, but Florida would be a horrible place to live IMO. I could potentially see having to relocate to another state due to the medical freedom issues. Not really my deal, but it is my wife's. Being "indigenous" has definitely helped her get around somethings (Like vaccine mandates.), but who knows how long that luck will last. 

He's doing a great job?  He was too much of a chickensh*t to sign his abortion ban in broad daylight, instead doing it late at night.  It's such a big win for him he should have had a huge signing party with lots of media there to capture this "oh so" major achievement.  Personal freedoms and all that.

He got completely pwned by a 7 foot mouse, and is so butt hurt by it he is on a personal mission to f*ck them over.  A corporate entity that employees 400k+ people, generates an estimated $75B in terms of economic impact and $5.8B in tax revenue, for HIS STATE and he wants to pick a fight with them.  I think most governors would give their left nut and probably 1/2 of their right nut (left ovary and 1/2 their right ovary for female governors) to get that kind of cash cow for their state.

He is talking about hotel taxes on Disney hotels and tolls on the roads that feed into Disney, all because they spoke out against his "don't say gay" nonsense.  What a silly, small-minded little man he is. 

How about those book bans (freedom of speech, no government regulation and all that).

He couldn't be bothered to even pick up the phone when one of his more prominent cities got hit with almost 26" of rain in a day?  Oh right, he was too busy promoting his book in Ohio ahead of his run for President.  And on that topic, since he is running for President, he *should* be stepping down as Governor since it is the law in Florida, and we know the republican party is all about law and order.  Sounds like they are just going to change the law instead.  How convenient.

Last but not least, key Republican donors are "holding their powder dry" when it comes to DeSantis because of his new abortion law and book bans.  The main donor who is speaking out gave $8m to republican candidates last year. 

 

[Deweydog]

7 minutes ago, roadtonowhere08 said:

I was hoping for the down and dirty, but that's not reality.  Fox got off EASY!!!  If the punishment does not inflict enough pain, expect business as usual.

Would have been fun to watch. Entertainment entertains!

Pretty astonishing from a settlement perspective, though. Even in this inflationary age. 

[roadtonowhere08]

22 minutes ago, Deweydog said:

Would have been fun to watch. Entertainment entertains!

Pretty astonishing from a settlement perspective, though. Even in this inflationary age. 

It is a lot of money, but apparently throwing throwing raw meat to your base regardless of having a basis in reality is pretty D**n profitable.

[Deweydog]

6 minutes ago, roadtonowhere08 said:

It is a lot of money, but apparently throwing throwing raw meat to your base regardless of having a basis in reality is pretty D**n profitable.

Left, right, up, down, paper or plastic it’s been that way since well before 2020. Post-November 2020 just raised the bar to pretty unimaginable levels. Of course the other side throws tofu and flat Zima at its base…

[roadtonowhere08]

28 minutes ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

He's doing a great job?  He was too much of a chickensh*t to sign his abortion ban in broad daylight, instead doing it late at night.  It's such a big win for him he should have had a huge signing party with lots of media there to capture this "oh so" major achievement.  Personal freedoms and all that.

He got completely pwned by a 7 foot mouse, and is so butt hurt by it he is on a personal mission to f*ck them over.  A corporate entity that employees 400k+ people, generates an estimated $75B in terms of economic impact and $5.8B in tax revenue, for HIS STATE and he wants to pick a fight with them.  I think most governors would give their left nut and probably 1/2 of their right nut (left ovary and 1/2 their right ovary for female governors) to get that kind of cash cow for their state.

He is talking about hotel taxes on Disney hotels and tolls on the roads that feed into Disney, all because they spoke out against his "don't say gay" nonsense.  What a silly, small-minded little man he is. 

How about those book bans (freedom of speech, no government regulation and all that).

He couldn't be bothered to even pick up the phone when one of his more prominent cities got hit with almost 26" of rain in a day?  Oh right, he was too busy promoting his book in Ohio ahead of his run for President.  And on that topic, since he is running for President, he *should* be stepping down as Governor since it is the law in Florida, and we know the republican party is all about law and order.  Sounds like they are just going to change the law instead.  How convenient.

Last but not least, key Republican donors are "holding their powder dry" when it comes to DeSantis because of his new abortion law and book bans.  The main donor who is speaking out gave $8m to republican candidates last year. 

 

It's stuff like this that makes me really question what people see in him.  If the mark of one's intelligence is based on their actions, DeSantis is one fine knuckle dragging specimen.  If he is dumb enough to run this time, Trump is going to have a field day getting under his skin.

[roadtonowhere08]

Just now, Deweydog said:

Left, right, up, down, paper or plastic it’s been that way since well before 2020. Post-November 2020 just raised the bar to pretty unimaginable levels. Of course the other side throws tofu and flat Zima at its base…

Tofu and flat Zima is a lot less costly in court.

[Deweydog]

5 minutes ago, roadtonowhere08 said:

Tofu and flat Zima is a lot less costly in court.

Better for the colon too.

[Andie]

 DeSantis will come over as a stiff compared to the Trumps energy.   
Love him or hate him, he has an ability to reach people.   

[MossMan]

11 hours ago, Deweydog said:

Bunch of rich lawyers got richer today. My kinda day!

You will be able to make your move to Spokane sooner than projected now!! 

[Chewbacca Defense]

10 hours ago, Andie said:

 DeSantis will come over as a stiff compared to the Trumps energy.   
Love him or hate him, he has an ability to reach people.   

Very true, and from what I have read, DeSantis does not handle being challenged very well (i.e. in a candidate debate).  He tends to lose his composure pretty easily.  That's a personality trait that is pretty hard to suppress/overcome.

 

Trump is definitely capable of working a crowd up, the thing is that more and more people are seeing through his "schtick"

Sadly, there are still way too many people who DON'T see through his routine.

 

I think Trump's "grade school bully" style of name calling and degrading will cause Desantis to come absolutely unhinged once Trump starts putting some real effort into it.  He is just playing with DeSantis now the way a cat would play with a mouse before ripping its guts out.

[Andie]

Seems DeSantis hit a speed bump. 

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/19/desantis-dc-trump-endorsement-00092695

[SnarkyGoblin]

4 hours ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

Very true, and from what I have read, DeSantis does not handle being challenged very well (i.e. in a candidate debate).  He tends to lose his composure pretty easily.  That's a personality trait that is pretty hard to suppress/overcome.

 

Trump is definitely capable of working a crowd up, the thing is that more and more people are seeing through his "schtick"

Sadly, there are still way too many people who DON'T see through his routine.

 

I think Trump's "grade school bully" style of name calling and degrading will cause Desantis to come absolutely unhinged once Trump starts putting some real effort into it.  He is just playing with DeSantis now the way a cat would play with a mouse before ripping its guts out.

I've read similar things.

And apparently he doesn't like to schmooze and do small talk, etc.  The only thing that man is good at is riling up culture war anger and that only goes so far when everyone else is doing the same "trans culture is ruining this country" schtick on his side.

Hes gonna be in for a rude awakening.

[MossMan]

The military has been going nuts over the last month with what I’m assuming is exercises out of naval air station Whidbey Island… Been constant rumblings of jets with a few times being quite low with the house shaking at this time of the evening. Nothing is showing up on flight aware so it’s not commercial aircraft. 

[Chewbacca Defense]

47 minutes ago, MossMan said:

The military has been going nuts over the last month with what I’m assuming is exercises out of naval air station Whidbey Island… Been constant rumblings of jets with a few times being quite low with the house shaking at this time of the evening. Nothing is showing up on flight aware so it’s not commercial aircraft. 

Yeah, they usually don't show up on flightaware, its always worth checking adsbexchange, they tend to show miitary flights (assuming they are transmitting data).  It's pretty rare to see fighter type aircraft but you can usually pick up tankers, transports, and surveillance A/C (including drones).  ADSBexchange actually has a filter for military A/C.

 

Honestly, it looks kinda quiet tonight.  I'll have to take a look at it tomorrow and see how it compares to what I usually see/

This guy has been flying around to your south tonight.

 

Here is the current PNW view:

a couple of helicopters down in Tacoma, and a tanker out of Spokane is south of Missoula

A C-17 is crossing the Oregon California border, and a C-5M is doing pattern work at Travis AFB

I actually have a feeder station set up for those sites, I need to figure out how to get the hits on my antennas logged in a database.  Even private pilots can have their information blocked from showing up on those sites.  They are still transmitting ADSB data (which I can see) but it gets blocked somewhere between my Rasberry pi that is running the feeder software and the actual website.  It would be fun to see those.  We also have a lot of Border Patrol aircraft flying overhead.  Their Blackhawk does not show up, but their H125 usually does.  I pick up the life flight helicopters but don't pick up the Navy helicopters when they have to go up and pluck someone off Baker.  We are on the flight path from Baker to the hospital, so we always know when they are up there (at least 2-3 times a month during the winter).  If I had the database set up, I could pull it up as they fly over and see if I have any entries associated with them.

 

We had a Growler circle over our house for several minutes yesterday, and we have had a C130 flying a lot of circles near our house the past few days under the callsign Hauler4.  They have been coming out of Abbotsford.  I think there is an MRO there that has a fat government contract with the US and Canadian government.  LOTS of military transports flying long holding patterns, which is something I think they do when they are calibrating navigation systems.  Also see lots of aerial fire fighting aircraft.

 

For grins and giggles, here is a shot of Europe, and it is surprisingly quiet.  You can see an AWACS off the east coast of England, kind of unusual to see them there, I'm guessing Putin must have a carrier working in the area and they are keeping an eye on it.

You can usually see AWACS and Reaper drones down over the Black Sea, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. 

[Andie]

5 hours ago, MossMan said:

The military has been going nuts over the last month with what I’m assuming is exercises out of naval air station Whidbey Island… Been constant rumblings of jets with a few times being quite low with the house shaking at this time of the evening. Nothing is showing up on flight aware so it’s not commercial aircraft. 

I live 5 mi from the end of the runways at Ft Worth Naval Air Station.  They were quite active here a few weeks ago.  Usually practicing ‘touch and goes’ but getting their hours in.   
Most of what we see is training. Some is test flight work from the assembly at Lockheed.  
Annual Flight work from reserves gets noisy. Fun to watch. Grew up with it. I don’t even “hear it” anymore. But sympathize.