Open Thread for Thursday, February 18, 2016

Sorry about not posting today, so close to the GOP primary. We had the memorial service today for my uncle, Braxton Collins, who passed away on Sunday. So I’ve been out of pocket.

Here are a few things for y’all to chew on:

  1. Trump calls Pope Francis “disgraceful” — Which probably won’t hurt him much, because I doubt there are many Catholics among his supporters. At least, I hope not. (If there are, please don’t tell me.) In connection with this, Bryan asked on Twitter whether Satan had endorsed anyone yet. I replied that “if he doesn’t endorse The Donald, then Trump’s gone to a lot of trouble and effort for nothing…”
  2. Pope suggests contraception can be condoned in Zika crisis — His Holiness was a really headline machine today, wasn’t he?
  3. The Obamas to make historic trip to Cuba, Argentina next month — And why not? The Pope’s been twice, and look at all the great press he’s getting…
  4. Clyburn to endorse Hillary Clinton in Democratic presidential primary — There’s a shocker. Seriously, who can imagine a Democrat as orthodox as Clyburn doing anything else?
  5. Wounded soldier set to receive first penis transplant in U.S. — The brilliant doctor who developed the procedure was dismissive of all previous organ transplants: “Hearts and kidneys are Tinker Toys!” cried Dr. Frahnkenschteen. Seriously, I hope it’s a success. It could eliminate the greatest fear of many soldiers on the battlefield.
  6. Poll: Clinton’s Lead Shrinks as Women Shift to Sanders — However, that’s unlikely to mean much in SC — it’s a national poll.
  7. Helicopter crashes near Pearl Harbor memorial — I’m including this because it happened maybe 200 yards from Burl’s workplace. Maybe he could give us an eyewitness account. Bryan pointed me to the Vine, below…

18 thoughts on “Open Thread for Thursday, February 18, 2016

  1. Mark Stewart

    Please explain how the Pope wallowing in primary muck is not beneith his – and his office’s – dignity.

    Pretty shocking. Has anyone figured out going head to head with Trump is not a winning strategy? Just because you play, he wins. Right Jeb!? Ignore him. Marginalized him. Stay above the fray. Pope didn’t. Dumb move by the pontiff.

      1. Barry

        Especially since he went to Cuba and didn’t feel the need to publically denounce their treatment of dissidents right under the Pope’s nose.

        or went to Mexico- and as far as I can tell – didn’t denounce their government leaders for the absolute mess their citizens live in with decades of public corruption, and Mexico’s incredible weak record of being a welcoming place for refugees.

        This Pope might want to run for elected office since he likes to poke his nose into political campaigns in the United States while ignoring a lot of things in the rest of the world. Maybe he’s waiting on Putin to pay him another visit.

        I can’t stand Trump, but what the Pope said about him was low class and a very poor example for a religious leader.

        1. Bryan Caskey

          Has anyone mentioned to His Holiness that the Vatican is sort of…um…completely surrounded by a….wall?

          1. Brad Warthen Post author

            Yeah, but he didn’t build it. That’s a medieval thing.

            Speaking of which, I was very interested to learn, when in Oxford, that the walls around the various colleges were there for actual defensive purposes. Apparently, in those days, the relationship between town and gown could get deadly….

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      So what was happening there, Burl? Was the pilot attempting an autorotation landing on Ford Island, but fell a few feet short? That’s what it looks like.

      1. Bob Amundson

        Nearly impossible to autorotate without a tail rotor (no “yaw” control). It looks like the pilot was trying to flair to soften the landing, and instead stalled the primary rotor, causing the hard landing. It’s amazing how quickly helicopters invert in water and begin to fill; reminds me of the helo dunker, which is part of Naval Aviator training.

  2. Burl Burlingame

    He was auto rotating but put her down right next to shore to avoid hitting people. The crash was at the PHP visitor center, not at Ford Island.

    Alas, it looks like the kid trapped on board may not make it.

    1. Bob Amundson

      Hard to tell without seeing more of the video, but this looks like a classic “running landing.”

  3. Burl Burlingame

    The wall around the Vatican has been very successful at keeping out Mexicans and other rapists.

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