New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #34

dragons wrote:

Example(s)?

Classified.

Battle plans given to an unknown agent? Soldiers lives were put at risk. Not just stupid, it’s treasonous.

At the very least, the government efficiency folks may learn why all the expensive secure encryption systems were in place and cost billions of dollars to do so and why they don’t use WeChat or Signal.   

dragons wrote:

Example(s)?

Yes, I believe that the last people executed in the US for treason were the Rosenbergs in 1953 for giving nuclear secrets to the Soviets, a more serious 'breach''---and those convictions and executions are still highly controversial ( 'tinged' as they were by anti-semitism). This was more incompetence, carelessness, hypocrisy, and arrogance---all very bad, especially in this context, but not treasonous.

In February of 2003, one of my Specialists, a nineteen year-old kid, left the frequency fill for a SINCGARS radio on an aircraft.  These were the frequencies used by the entire I Corps for the invasion of Iraq. After much consternation, we recovered the cartridge and no harm was done.
However, I still had that Specialist summary court marshaled, and after I advocated for him, he received the lenient punishment of reduction to PV2 and loss of month’s pay. If I didn’t initiate the UCMJ process, he would have faced a general court marshal with a much more severe punishment.
I’m sure that Hegseth and Waltz will face no such consequences. 

None of the so-called "DEI hires" fired by the Trump administration would have made this error.  And no matter how much lying, obfuscating, and faux minimizing Trump and his enablers indulge in, the people in the army know how bad this is---and they know what would have happened to them if they had done anything analogous. Chatter all you want---the army knows.  The soldiers know, and because they know, they also know that their leaders are lying to the public. That's a very bad situation for us to be in.

As for the Secretary of Defense (who looked straight into a camera and said no war plans were discussed) we're now replacing DEI hires with DUI hires. What could possibly go wrong?

This is going to sting like Biden’s Afghanistan moment, but I’ll be interested to see just how much it stings in the midterms and beyond. These elections are still a ways off, and egregious as this is, events like this aren’t as tangible to a lot of voters as the economy. If gas goes up…inflation creeps up again…a recession (to any degree) kicks in…this is the stuff that will really turn the polls.

The Dems could have a golden opportunity, if they can just figure out what the hell they stand for, and start communicating it.

bidens afganistan moment was simply following trumps plan. Trump would have fucked it up even worse. 

^^^

This, BIG, BIG time. One probably has to be very into geopolitics/military events to understand how monumentally Mango Mussolini f$&ked up his “negotiations” with the Taliban.

The events that followed were pretty much foreordained. 

Sacramento Area climber looking towards easy-moderate  ( 5.8/9) trad , also open to sport . 

I’ve had a passionate and unreasonable crush on this rock for several years. I can’t account for the number of times I’ve drifted by, sat at the base, wondered.  Today all I really wanted was to put my hands in those cracks and see if I could sort out the first 30 feet. Before I knew it I was at the top. And then did it again.  

The Decompensator of Lhasa  10c/d   80 feet 

I was so overcome along the way that I had to stop and assess… is this really happening?  Am I climbing this? The view from on high is beautiful.

I even had to show my grandkids what I hoped to climb someday. (2023)  

Starting up..

The ticket here is to avoid the cracks altogether and stem.

The only other time I’ve been on this rock I thought the last 20 feet were impossible—by far the hardest of the route. But they are very possible if you move right and climb the arete.  I have not checked out whether straight up the middle is even feasible.  For sure there are no hands, no feet.. so it’s kinda Jedi. 

And thank you Randy Vogel (and Charles)  for this beautiful route.  

apogee wrote:

This is going to sting like Biden’s Afghanistan moment, but I’ll be interested to see just how much it stings in the midterms and beyond. These elections are still a ways off, and egregious as this is, events like this aren’t as tangible to a lot of voters as the economy. If gas goes up…inflation creeps up again…a recession (to any degree) kicks in…this is the stuff that will really turn the polls.

The Dems could have a golden opportunity, if they can just figure out what the hell they stand for, and start communicating it.

The dem politicians aren't standing on much these days besides TDS, they are still serving their corporate donor masters and ignoring their majority of constituents. Trickle down trickled all the way into the DNC and beyond. The only lefties communicating are Bernie and AOC, the press focuses on what DJT did today. Ratings are important right?

apogee wrote:

This is going to sting like Biden’s Afghanistan moment...

Your use of the words "sting" and "moment" make for a clever statement that trivializes what happened in Afghanistan. "Biden's Afghanistan Moment" lol. Try pain, death, disaster, and Biden's worst hour.

The political impacts of events like these are one discussion…the human impacts are a very different discussion. Assuming that a comment about the former is intended to marginalize the latter conveys a pretty strong cynicism.

apogee wrote:

The political impacts of events like these are one discussion…the human impacts are a very different discussion. Assuming that a comment about the former is intended to marginalize the latter conveys a pretty strong cynicism.

I don't understand you. I'd say the reverse.

The human impacts of events like these are one discussion…the political impacts are a very different discussion. Assuming that a comment about the former is intended to marginalize the latter conveys a pretty strong cynicism.

I'm not trying to play games with you. The human impacts of Biden's' Afghanistan withdrawal were a disaster. The political effects were disproportionally less. 

Up to this point, my comments have been related to the potential political impacts of this event, and nothing more. A central element of the successful Trump campaign was the Afghanistan withdrawal, painting the Biden administration as incompetent and disorganized in their leadership. The political parallels between the two events (in terms of how the leadership was/will be portrayed) is pretty obvious.

The human impacts of these events are also obviously of greater importance. It's also quite clear that withdrawal from Afghanistan had been on the drawing board for years before Biden took office (as it should have been)- given the chaotic 'leadership' of the first Trump administration, it's pretty hard to imagine a less messy, deathly retreat. This recent event only underscores the Trump administration leadership 'style' (as if we needed reminding).

Can you imagine the human impacts that would have occurred if the Houthis (or more to the point, Iran) had gained the information that was going back and forth in that Signal dialogue? 

Lori Milas wrote:

I’ve had a passionate and unreasonable crush on this rock for several years. I can’t account for the number of times I’ve drifted by, sat at the base, wondered.  Today all I really wanted was to put my hands in those cracks and see if I could sort out the first 30 feet. Before I knew it I was at the top. And then did it again.  

The Decompensator of Lhasa  10c/d   80 feet 

Well done! My little chart tells me a 10c is about a grade 20 which isn't nothing!

Lori Milas wrote:

I’ve had a passionate and unreasonable crush on this rock for several years. I can’t account for the number of times I’ve drifted by, sat at the base, wondered.  Today all I really wanted was to put my hands in those cracks and see if I could sort out the first 30 feet. Before I knew it I was at the top. And then did it again.  

The Decompensator of Lhasa  10c/d   80 feet 

Oh SNAP!

5.10 c/d???

WELL Done!

Carl Schneider wrote:

Well done! My little chart tells me a 10c is about a grade 20 which isn't nothing!

Ha ha! I carry a little chart for you, too!  

It’s been a slow progression over the last five years working with my body to be able to climb without completely falling apart,. I’ve carefully tried to up my basics… hitting a daily protein mark, being vigilant with hydration, and being a “competitive sleeper”.    In addition, I have been working with a registered dietitian to add any necessary supplements and/or to get rid of anything that might be harming more than helping.

(Bob has helped A LOT by giving me the wary eye when anything goes wrong because after 40 years of experience, he knows this is the age when most people give it up. The first thing to go is usually balance. Strength. Injuries. I give Bob the wary eye right back – – “don’t tell me I’m old“.   )

I walked into my house upright yesterday after climbing like a maniac— it wouldn’t be unusual for me to walk in the house bent over and limping, I didn’t immediately lay down for a nap, I had a big dinner and slept all night and I’m not sore this morning (except my big toes).  So this is a huge improvement over a few years ago.

But what is really perplexing to me is a sudden increase in strength and endurance these last few months — Climbing yesterday was much easier than I anticipated— and the only thing I have changed this year is that I am consistently taking creatine at a very small dose (2.5 mg).  Anyone who is anyone out there in the sport nutrition field talks about creatine supplementation.  Doctor Stacy Sims has repeatedly said the only two supplements she recommends are vitamin D and creatine.  

Any time I have an interest in something new I go directly to consumerlabs.com.  They will provide all the relevant studies and third-party testing and more often than not will shoot the product down. If after their due diligence they find it useful then it’s something to consider.  

—-

Reading the comments back-and-forth between Kris and everyone else… I wonder why we need to treat national affairs like a team sport. I watched the withdrawal from Afghanistan in horror. The short of it is we fucked up, did we not?  And now this debacle currently in the news – – the short of it is they fucked up, right?  But instead of doing the rah rah thing for one Party or the other, why can’t we say that we, the American people, expect better. That we demand the highest standard performance from whoever is in power and we expect accountability. Lately I’ve been writing to my congressman and senators and surprisingly have received very personal and lengthy responses. We are here to do a job review on our elected officials irrespective of Party.  Less time spent debating which side is better, more time demanding excellence from whoever ever is in office.

Alan Rubin wrote:

Yes, I believe that the last people executed in the US for treason were the Rosenbergs in 1953 for giving nuclear secrets to the Soviets, a more serious 'breach''---and those convictions and executions are still highly controversial ( 'tinged' as they were by anti-semitism). This was more incompetence, carelessness, hypocrisy, and arrogance---all very bad, especially in this context, but not treasonous.

In USA, true.

Endangering soldiers going to battle is treasonous. Rosenbergs were spies, also should be executed.

On another note, Biden’s Chip Act, failed spectacularly. Chinese lithograph pushed DUV to 5nm.

I believe they are close to EUV? ASML is lobbying to continue maintaining older equipment in China which is being restricted by that Act and phasing in.

Looks like more failed “diplomacy”.

Free trade is free trade, the world was becoming more affordable and modern until two ageing politicians in the country with the largest military decided to push everyone back into the Stone Age.

DeepSeek and 5nm with EUV in their sights. Doesn’t sound like “a decade away”.

If there was open trade, the world could solve many more problems and not just to bypass stupid government restrictions.