Flightline Friday: My Favorite piston-engined aircraft, the Able Dog March 28, 2014
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, awesomeness, Flightline Friday, fun, silliness, Society.comments closed
The AD Skyraider was a product of that pinnacle of piston-engined aircraft design and manufacture that occurred at the close of WWII. A number of extremely capable, rugged, reliable types were produced in the closing days of the war, or just after: advanced models of the F4U Corsair, the F8F Bearcat, the P-51H and P-47N, in Britain the Hawker Fury, and the creme de la creme, in my opinion, the Douglas AD Skyraider. Powered by a big Wright 3350 radial, the Skyraider saw service from 1946 until 1972 in the US, and longer in other countries. It was an incredible versatile workhorse that performed a huge number of missions: long range strike, medium bomber, airborne early warning, anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, even carrier on-board delivery. 3180 Skyraiders were produced in a great number of variants from 1945 to 1957. The Navy phased it out in favor of the A-6 Intruder in 1968, while the Air Force used it until 1972 in the search and rescue CAP role in Vietnam.
Just too late for WWII, the AD, or A-1 Skyraider was a workhorse of both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, and may have flown in combat in third world nations until about 1980. It was the product of 40 years of piston engine design and one of the peaks achieved in that design medium. Soldiering on in a time when jets were replacing almost every other piston engine type, the Skyraider had unique capabilities that jets of the 50s could not match. It’s range and payload would not be equaled until the A2F (A-6) Intruder entered service in the early 60s.
I don’t have much time to post more details, so here are some videos of the glorious “Sandy,” “Able Dog,” “Spad,” “Hobo,” “Fat Face,” “Flying Dumptruck,” “the Destroyer,” – “Mr. Attack Aviation” Ed Heinemann’s A-1 Skyraider:
A-1H of VA-25 “Fist of the Fleet” prepares to fly a mission in 1965 with a special purpose bomb, outfitted with an ‘E’ award for battle efficiency, aboard CV-41 “Magic” Midway. This bomb was actually flown and dropped on a mission as a joke. The North Vietnamese actually accused the US of “bacteriological” warfare because of the stunt.
A short video of two restored A-1’s having fun:
Discovery Wings episode Able Dog:
Here is a nice “ride along” video from onboard a Skyraider:
Low-res video of the retirement of the Skyraider from the USN in 1970:
Here is a low-res vid of USAF combat search and rescue operations deep in indian country in Vietnam featuring CH-53 Jolly Greens, A-1 Skyraiders, HC-130 Hercules, and OV-10 Broncos.
That’s all for now. Have a blessed weekend.
Federal appeals court upholds Texas abortion law March 28, 2014
Posted by Tantumblogo in Abortion, awesomeness, Basics, contraception, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Our Lady, scandals, secularism, self-serving, sexual depravity, sickness, Society, Victory.comments closed
I’m certain Planned Barrenhood will appeal to the Supreme Court, but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the very fractious law passed last summer that saw so many satanic and unhinged demonstrations at the Capitol. This is also tremendous news, it’s very unlikely the Supreme Court will overturn this judgment, so the very effective limitations on abortion will stand:
A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld parts of a Texas abortion law pertaining to hospital privileges for physicians who perform abortions and protocols for abortion-inducing drugs, a decision that drew starkly contrasting reactions on both sides of the debate.
A U.S. district court previously struck down those provisions in the Texas law, which were challenged in court by lawyers for Planned Parenthood. But the 5th Circuit Appeals Court later issued a stay of that decision “pending appeal,” meaning it would not go into effect.
The U.S. Supreme Court also weighed in, with a majority refusing to stop the law’s implementation. In the ruling opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that an appeals court stay could not be vacated “unless that court clearly and ‘demonstrably’ erred in its application of ‘accepted standards.'”
Thursday’s ruling means the provisions will remain valid in the state of Texas, until or unless the U.S. Supreme Court rules otherwise or legislators in the state act to modify the law.
Supporters of such legislation cheered the ruling. Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser applauded the judges “for upholding this commonsense measure to safeguard women.”
“The people of Texas have spoken through their elected leaders and in support of protecting the culture of life in our state,” said Gov. Rick Perry, a conservative Republican. “Today’s court decision is good news for Texas women and the unborn, and we will continue to fight for the protection of life and women’s health in Texas.”
Not surprisingly, Planned Parenthood had an opposite reaction, with
President[demon lady] Cecile Richards characterizing the decision as “a terrible court ruling.”“The latest restrictions in Texas will force women to have abortions later in pregnancy, if they are able to get to a doctor at all,” Richards said. “This court ruling is not the last word.”
So it sounds like Planned Barrenhood plans to appeal. As the article notes, Texas is not the only state to implement the requirement for admitting privileges, but it is by far the largest, most important state to do so. I’m sure PB will make their appeal, but I have a suspicion the Supreme Court won’t hear the case. They might, in which case, I tend to think it will stand, but something tells me that they won’t even bother to hear the case. This requirement is only “onerous” to abortionists because they are the lowest rung of “doctors” around, a big step below the pill pusher, cash-payment only types I was familiar with at one point in my life.
Good news on the pro-life front today! God be praised! I am certain Our Lady had much to do with this, during the week of the great Feast of the Annunciation! Ave Maria, gratia plena!
h/t to reader skeinster for the link
CLARIFICATION: University General Hospital pulling Robinson’s privileges March 28, 2014
Posted by Tantumblogo in Abortion, awesomeness, Basics, contraception, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Society, Victory.comments closed
I wrote in a post Tuesday that abortionist Lamar Robinson – one of two murderers in Dallas who kill babies up to 24 weeks – had obtained privileges at a hospital in South Oak Cliff called University General Hospital. I wrote that a protest was planned outside this hospital next Tuesday.
Well, the president of the hospital has been contacted by pro-lifers and he confirmed today that he is going to pull Robinson’s privileges, the only thing that keeps his abattoir open. Apparently, some other local abortionists have also gotten their privileges through this hospital, and he is pulling those, as well. This could be an event that has enormous impact on the availability of abortion in DFW. It is very possible two mills will close, at least until they find another hospital to grant them privileges, which we’ll then have to pressure not to do so.
I think the president/head of this University General Hospital is to be enormously commended. He said he wants his hospital to be 100% pro-life and that it will not allow abortions nor associate with abortionists. That is great. I must say, to dampen the enthusiasm this a bit, none of this is confirmed to the point of Robinson’s mill shutting down, but all signs right now are great.
I am guessing the planned protest for next Tuesday outside UGH (what an unfortunate acronym, btw) will be cancelled. Or maybe, it should turn into a demonstration of support? I’m not sure how the leaders plan to play it, if the Kukla’s or someone can let me know, that would be helpful, I’ll try to post an update, even on the weekend.
For now, offer some prayers of thanksgiving! If this development holds, we’ll see two mills close in the next week or so!
Oh, and I also got news of something really untoward and seedy that happened at Robinson’s mill very recently, totally unrelated to his state mandated admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. Charges are being filed, that’s all I’ll say for now. Hopefully I can reveal more, soon.
A follow-up on episcopal palaces March 28, 2014
Posted by Tantumblogo in abdication of duty, Basics, Christendom, disconcerting, episcopate, error, foolishness, General Catholic, sadness, scandals, secularism, self-serving, shocking, the return.comments closed
I posted yesterday on the scandal of the cash-strapped Archdiocese of Atlanta spending nearly $5 million on residences for Archbishop Wilton Gregory and three cathedral priests. My wife made a really good point last night that I thought worth sharing.
I think many faithful have the sense that situations like this – and they are legion* – are indicative of an episcopate that has really lost its way. My wife noted this, and said how upside-down and inside-out things are: “we” the Church used to have glorious, beautiful churches and humble priests and bishops who lived very simply, now we have ugly “humble” churches and bishops (and some priests) who live in great opulence and extravagance.
That says a very great deal. It speaks to the worldliness that has crept so very deeply into the Church. It reveals a highly disordered materialism that is extremely difficult to reconcile with the kind of interior life one would expect a faithful bishop to have. And it shows how utterly misplaced priorities are, where parishes are often built to the lowest possible cost point with no thought of how to truly sacrifice and scrimp to make something lasting and magnificent, while lavish lifestyles are reserved for Amchurch’s local branch managers.
Some might think this is belaboring the point, but I don’t think too big a deal can be made out of this. It is scandalous in an age of parish and school closures, declining attendance, and massive dysfunction in the Faith for such huge sums to be wasted on episcopal residences of this type, and, again, there are a LOT of them
In fact, there is a close correlation between how liberal a prelate is, and how auspicious his style of living. See Robert Lynch, Joseph Bernadin, et. al., for details.
* – There are also opposite examples of bishops selling mansions and adopting very simple manners of living. They are to be applauded for this.
We live in a new age of iconclasm March 28, 2014
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, Basics, catachesis, Christendom, disaster, Ecumenism, episcopate, error, General Catholic, reading, Saints, scandals, secularism, Virtue.comments closed
And, to that, I say, phooey. Here’s some art of that great fighter of heretical iconoclasts, St. John Damascene, for all the iconoclasts out there to get all twisted off about. But first, some words from Dom Prosper Gueranger on the horrid heresy of iconoclasm:
The faithful have not forgotten that on the first Sunday of Lent the Greeks keep one of their greatest solemnities, that of Orthodoxy. History proves that the Church of Constantinople, the new Rome, did not share the indefectibility of that of the old Rome, for it passed through a cycle of heresies on the dogma of the Incarnation. It rejected successively the consubstantiality of the Word, the unity of Person in Jesus Christ, and the integrity of His two natures. It seemed as though there were nothing left for heretical emperors and patriarchs to deny. Yet there was one more error to proclaim before the measure of false teaching was filled up.
Christ enthroned in Heaven could not be belittled, but His images might be proscribed on earth. Heresy was powerless to touch the King even in these pictorial representations, but schism could at least shake off the yoke of His Vicar, and this last denial rolled the stone to the door of the tomb which the Crescent was one day to seal.
The heresy of the iconoclasts or image-breakers represents the last phase of Oriental error with regard to the Incarnation of the Son of God. [They still hold errors regarding the Trinity, viz., the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father AND the Son] It was right that the feast which commemorates the restoration of the holy images should receive the glorious name of the Feast of Orthodoxy. It celebrates the last blow struck at Byzantine dogma, and recalls all those delivered by the councils of the Church between the first and second of Nicaea. A peculiar solemnity was given to this feast by the fact that all the anathemas formulated in previous times against the adversaries of revealed Truth were renewed in the Church of Saint Sophia, while the Cross and the holy Images were exalted in triumph and the emperor stood at his throne.
Satan, the sworn foe of the Word, showed clearly that he looked upon the doctrine of the Iconoclasts as his last resource. There is no heresy which has caused more martyrdoms or more destruction. Nero and Diocletian seemed to be reincarnate in the baptized Caesars who defended it………The edicts of persecution, published in defence of the idols of former times, were renewed for the destruction of the idolatry which was said to defile the Church.
In the early days of the heresy, St. Germanus of Constantinople reminded the crowned theologian of Isauria that Christians do not adore images but give them a relative honor, which is due to the persons of the Saints whom they represent. The imperial pontiff replied by sending the patriarch into exile. The soldiers, whom the emperor charged to carry out his will, gave themselves up to the pillage of churches and private homes. On all sides venerated statues fell under the hammer of the destroyers. [Just as occurred in the protestant revolt, and even, to some extent, today. How many gloriously outfitted churches in Europe or North America have been turned into cold, modernist shells, almost totally devoid of art? We have an abundance of iconoclasts today, the modernists] Mural paintings were covered with chalk, vestments and sacred vessels mutilated and destroyed on account of images in embroidery or enamel. Masterpieces of art, which had nourished the devotion of the people, were publicly burnt, and the artist who dared to represent Christ, Our Lady, or the Saints, was himself subjected to fire and torture together with those of the faithful who had not been able to restrain their sorrow at the sight of such destruction. The shepherds bowed beneath the storm and yielded to regrettable compromises, and the reign of terror was soon supreme over the deserted flock. [Again, the similarities to today are striking. But in our case, the shepherds haven’t been compromising with a civil authority threatening destruction if they do not accept the authority’s will, we see the shepherds themselves often leading the charge of destruction of immensely valuable public works of art in Catholic parishes. Modernists hate Catholic imagery because it is offensive to protestant sensibilities.]
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Interestingly, a remnant of iconoclasm has remained in the Byzantine Churches to this day. They still allow only painted art, in icons or parishes, with almost no statuary permitted, nor other forms of art. This is due at least in part to a lingering misconception of the nature of imagery and the kind of respect given them.
Now, some good good Icons:
A Blog for Dallas Area Catholics 