POLITICAL: Separation of Gooferment from Aviation

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

FROM 1440 http://join1440.com/

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House Shutdown Vote

The House reconvenes today and is expected to vote on a Senate bill to reopen the government. The vote comes on the 43rd day of the US’ longest shutdown.

Seven Democrats and one independent joined 52 Republicans to pass the Senate bill, which would fund much of the government through January. The Agriculture Department—which facilitates SNAP food benefits to 42 million Americans—would be funded through September 2026. The bill does not extend COVID-era healthcare subsidies for 24 million people who purchase plans under the Affordable Care Act. Democratic leaders had sought to make reopening the government conditional on extending those subsidies, due to expire Dec. 31. ACA marketplace premiums are projected to rise up to 30%, from 18%, without an extension. Federal health subsidies cost an estimated $1.8T in 2023, roughly 7% of the US gross domestic product.

Separately, airlines canceled an estimated 6% of flights at 40 of the US’ busiest airports yesterday amid ongoing air traffic controller shortages.

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Why is the Gooferment regulating and operating “Aviation”?

It should ONLY be regulating as necessary. Clearly a consortium of commercial airlines could do a better job and cheaper. Surely a private entity would not be running on 1950’s hardware and software. Additionally, the Gooferment is immoral, ineffective, and inefficient. As well as untrustworthy. So, there would be efficiencies and cost reductions.

This goes for Air Traffic Control and Airports.

Now there would have to be some role for “private aviation” and “military aviation” in this consortium. But those details can be worked out between the parties involved.

Airports would be just like any other corporate establishment regulated by the state or local Gooferment.

I can see a much better future once we #privatizetheFAA!

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VETERANS: 11 souls finally found — the terrible price of war

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

FROM 1440

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World War II Veteran Recovered

The remains of a missing World War II veteran have been recovered and identified at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The expedition—213 feet below the surface—is the US government’s deepest underwater recovery operation to date.

On March 11, 1944, a B-24 bomber known as “Heaven Can Wait” was shot down over Papua New Guinea. The aircraft—carrying 11 US service members—was en route to bomb Japanese anti-aircraft weapons on the island’s northeast coast. Early last year, Navy divers recovered the dog tags and remains of 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr.—a 21-year-old aviator from California. The remains of two other veterans—radio operator Eugene J. Darrigan, 26, and navigator 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, 26—were identified earlier this year.

The mission came about after Kelly’s family members conducted an extensive research project from 2013 to 2017, gathering historical documents and eyewitness accounts to narrow the wreckage search. 

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https://www.yahoo.com/news/wwii-airman-remains-positively-identified-153302737.html

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It’s important that every effort be made to find and bring out vets home.

One thing that is drilled into our military is “Never leave a comrade behind”.  I learned it when I was in training and I hope it’s still taught.

I watch for these stories as a fulfillment of that ethic.  Unfortunately, the politicians and bureaucrats, some who are “perfumed princes” in the Pentagon, fail in this duty.

In the movies, it was best expressed by “We Were Soldiers” Hero, Hal Moore.

“I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God.”  — Mel Gibson playing Lt. Col. Hal Moore in “We Were Soldiers”.

I know the Conspiracy Theories that we left living POWs in WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam.  I hope that they are not true.  And, I hope we are busting heads to confirm or deny.

The way we, the USA, treat our veterans is a national disgrace.

Shame on us.

 “Some had families waiting. For others, their only family would be the men they bled beside. There were no bands, no flags, no Honor Guards to welcome them home. They went to war because their country ordered them to. But in the end, they fought not for their country or their flag, they fought for each other.”  — Barry Pepper as Joe Galloway in “We Were Soldiers”

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HEROIC: All 41 construction workers are free

Thursday, November 30, 2023

FROM 1440 (hello@join1440.com) 

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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Nov. 29, and we’re covering the rescue of 41 men trapped in a tunnel for 17 days, a convicted murderer’s financial crimes, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

You share. We listen. As always, send us feedback at hello@join1440.com.

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India Tunnel Rescue

All 41 construction workers are free after being trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in northern India for over two weeks. The men were treated at a hospital and are reportedly in good health.

The men, reportedly working for $250 per month, were pulled through 187 feet of steel pipe on wheeled stretchers after the rescuers used hand-held drills to break through. The drilling machines had broken down Friday after rescuers had bored horizontally through a section of nearly 200 feet of fallen rock, coming within 50 feet of the cavern. The men were able to survive on food and oxygen supplied through narrow pipes.

The landslide-induced collapse first occurred Nov. 12 amid the construction of the three-mile Silkyara tunnel. The tunnel is part of the government’s $1.5M Char Dham highway project to connect four Hindu pilgrimage sites. The event has cast a spotlight on environmental concerns in the earthquake-prone Himalayan region.

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I call the “heroic” because humanity forced its way though several technical problems to get these men out alive.  No one sat around and did a cost benefit analysis.  Men and women got to work and “figured it out”.

Was it expensive in time, energy, and resources?  Sure.  Was it worth it?  Absolutely!

As a pro-life little L libertarian, EVERY life is worth saving.

41 families got to see their bread winner come home.  That’s what humanity is all about.

And, why I’m so anti-war; killing human beings over problems that can be solved makes little sense to me.  That’s why I’m anti-recreational abortion.  Or things like China’s one child policy; I guess they learned their lesson that more people is not a “problem” but asset; that yields more productivity.

Any way, kudos to all those who make it happen and even to those of us who just followed the story and preyed for their safe return.

Now let’s focus on saving more humans from war and “reproductive rights”.

Dona Nobis Pacem

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