Monday update

Sorry for the lack of blogging, but it has been a really busy the last few weeks. I’ll keep these short:

Working on the new place.

Yard Moose Mountain 2.0

 

That’s going to be the view off the back porch. That’s one tiny part of the view. Every direction is like that. The spot we’re going to build the house on is a ridge about four hundred feet above most of the property. I will install a zip line from my gun tower to the mail box. 🙂

Had excavators come out. You know you’ve taken on a significant project when you have to build your drive way in phases.

 

In writing news, I got the edits done for Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge out the door.

This morning I turned in a short story for Mike Williamson’s Freehold anthology. I got to get my samurai drama on again. Full on grumpy Toshiro Mifune.

Today I’m working on a short story for an anthology that hasn’t been announced yet. It ties into a movie franchise that I’m a fan of, so I had to do it.

Then I’ve got one more short story I owe to Jonathan Maberry for his Joe Ledger Unstoppable anthology. I got demons.

After that, I can concentrate on the next MHI, Owen book, haven’t decided on the title yet.

 

In release news, up next for me is Into the Wild in April. As soon as there is an Amazon link I’ll post it.

Then Grunge comes out this summer.

In really cool top secret release news, I can’t tell you yet, but it is really nifty.
In appearance news, I’ll be at SLC FanX at the end of the month. You can find me at Kevin J. Anderson’s Wordfire Press booth, where I’ll be signing books.

I’m trying to throw together some Book Bombs for people. I’ve been too busy and didn’t have one last month. I don’t know if I will be able to have one for April, because I’ll be in Europe for a bunch of it. This month I’m going to be doing one for the 2112 Anthology, because Rush and sci-fi just go together, and I’ve got a bunch of friends who’ve written stories in it, and the Galactic Games anthology.
Travel news, this year I’m going to Europe and doing some signings and events there. I’ll have a post up with that schedule soon. I’ll be visiting England, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
In political news, I’ve been arguing with a lot of Trump fans. In short, I think he’s a huckster populist demagogue telling angry people whatever they want to hear. Then I’ve been arguing with Bernie fans, and mostly my take away there is that they don’t understand how math works. Yes. The current system sucks and you are right to be mad. But don’t be so mad that you elect someone worse.

I mean, come on, let’s target the women and children? That’s your winning strategy? War crimes?

My primary is on the 22nd, and for once my state’s primary looks like it will actually count. I’m voting for Cruz. Because if I was giving them report cards for how they align with my beliefs, he’d get a B. Rubio gets a C. Trump lied and said his huge magnificent dog, like you’ve never seen such a dog before, totally ate his report card but it was a really super great report card, like the best ever in the world, with scores that would blow your mind (it was a D-). Bernie scribbled over his F and assigned himself a score that isn’t actually a letter, and Hillary tried to sell her report card to the Russian mafia.

If you want a fun FB thread, I posted that Misses link

https://mises.org/blog/if-sweden-and-germany-became-us-states-they-would-be-among-poorest-states

showing that by cost of living adjusted median income the little Euro socialist states the Bernbots love so much are poorer than most American states, and a bunch of hippy dippy feel good types showed up to feel smug they pay 75% in taxes but get “free” healthcare, and shout LIES without actually refuting anything (seriously, the methodology is all right there), my take aways were:
1. Bernie supporters don’t know what the word “median” means.
2. Bernie supporters don’t understand how accountants can place a value on health care, because apparently that is an unknowable mystery.
3. Once they can’t refute any of the stats, they suddenly are all about telling you “money can’t buy happiness”, which is funny, since a minute ago they were trying to take more of my money so they could be happier.

 

In business news, I put together my tax packet for my CPA. When I saw what my total withholding was for the year, I decided that the next hippy Sandernista who tells me rich folks don’t pay their “fair share” and I should be super happy to pay for their gender studies degree because they are “following their dreams” I’m going to punch them in the throat.

In nerd news, new Writer Nerd Game Night campaign starting up. And this time it is Steve’s problem. Yay. We’ve not played together since Zach passed away. Man, I still miss that guy. But we will eat snacks and say ridiculous things in his honor this weekend.

 

In tank related news, which is now a thing, I found a British Chieftain for sale. (plus, working cannon, original, not a demil, on a Form 4) The lovely Mrs. Correia said go for it. I have witnesses. She gave me permission. Like a literal tank. But that one sold (plus, apparently they have transmission problems and lack leg room 🙂 ). But now I’m thinking, tank, because what good is a mountain, if you don’t have your own main battle tank to drive around on it? This has now officially been added to my bucket list. #34. Own a Tank.

If I slap a snow plow on there, and I can even pretend it is practical. Because tank. How often do you see cars slid off the side of the road in winter? All the time. How often do you see tanks? Never. See?

Commuter lane? Hell. Whatever lane I’m in is the commuter lane, and that includes if I feel like driving into oncoming traffic.

I would just add that to my business cards.
Larry Correia
Screw you. I have a tank. 

Plus, think about it. You would win every argument after that for the rest of your life.
“Socialism works great in Denmark!”
“I have a tank.”
“Huh?”
“I win.”

“You aren’t a *real* author!”
“But I have a tank.”

See? You can’t argue with a man who has a main battle tank in his yard. I don’t know if I win, so much as I wouldn’t care. Because tank.

 

 

 

Geeky Hobbies: Little Space Dudes 6 (Aleph from Infinity)
Geeky Hobbies: Little Space Dudes 5 (Haqislam from Infinity)

187 thoughts on “Monday update”

  1. “I will install a zip line from my gun tower to the mail box.”

    It’s in writing! Holding you to this now, and holding out for a video.

  2. “This morning I turned in a short story for Mike Williamson’s Freehold anthology.”
    I didn’t know this was in the works. I will certainly keep an eye out for it.

    Hope all goes smoothly with the new place.

    1. I just told my kids about this. Two sons and one daughter. All three are now demanding I take them to England this summer just so they can do this.

    2. You’ve shown me something I now must do…
      though the reasonable price point to participate is made steeper by the plane and hotel costs I’d need to incur, too.

      We need something like this in the US darn it… I mean we have Air Combat USA, why not tanks!? http://aircombat.com/

    3. There not TANKS as Faith from John Ringo’s – Under a Graveyard Sky found out. There Armoured Personnel Carriers or Fighting Vehices, just because they have a big gun does not make them a tank…

  3. Um. Tanks. Couple notes. Yes, they do slide off roads. They do it really well if you let them.

    You’ll have to teach your wife to drive it if you want to look really cool posing in the commander’s cupola.

    Try not to buy Russian tank. Russian tankers are selected for short, like five-four. MY head and shoulders stick out of a T-55 series hatch with my feet on the floor and I’m just six foot.

    (Also, people laugh if you complain you don’t fit in your tank. Trust me on this.)

    1. I was once reliably informed by a Colonel surrounded by his men that if I continued photographing an American-made tank in an army that wasn’t mine I’d be in for some hard times and that I should probably disappear. I answered it was an American tank and there were a zillion photos of it all over the internet. His response was, “But this is our tank.” So, I left. A Sergeant with an escort at arms caught up to me a few yards on and gave me advice on specifically where to disappear to, cuz they’re friendly like that. I did but came back to the same location the next day and photographed the tanks, cuz I’m persistent like that. I don’t think LC could afford one but if he could they do zoom down city boulevards right smartly and make charmingly loud noises with their automatic machine guns and are great at running people over n’ shit.

    2. Your fellow Baen writer David Drake seems to have a lot of stories about things that go wrong with tanks.

      OTOH, having a party and inviting a lot of people who know about tanks to give you advice would probably be both fun and provide you with tax writeoffs. (David Drake, too.) Sort of a mini tank convention.

    1. As a mech company XO, let me not describe the indescribable fun of trying to unstick a stuck attached M60.

  4. Not hard to find tanks for sale……..I found a bunch googling it….. 🙂

    As for the Sanders/Trump, couldn’t we lock them in a room, then sit out and pop popcorn and watch the fireworks?

    Await your next novel with glee…….

    1. No, because in order for that to do anything, you’d have to lock hillary in with them. That of course, leads to the risk of all of them breeding, and I’m pretty sure that’s how the antichrist is supposed to be born. Now were’s my eye bleach?

  5. Whatever you do Larry, don’t buy the same helmet that Dukakis wore. You will be teased without mercy; even if you do have a tank.

  6. I don’t know if I win, so much as I wouldn’t care.

    In my line of work, that still counts as a win.

  7. If your tank was diesel powered, you could confound the hippies further by running biodiesel. Your tank could smell like French fries and still be greener than it’s camo pattern! Take that Bern-outs!

    And of course you still win, because tank!

    1. I think diesel power is a given. Have they ever made a tank that wasn’t? (Or at least couldn’t burn it; Abrams can burn damn near everything, so they don’t count, besides the whole not-for-sale thing).

      1. How about the Sherman tank?

        Chrysler made a gasoline-fueled tank engine for it, the A57. 1253 CID, 470hp. They basically arranged five flathead six cylinder car engines into a pentagon and hooked them to a common output shaft.

        1. I think I heard the gas shermans weren’t very reliable also more prone to exploding due to the volatility of gas…. then again gas is cheaper to buy if you aren’t actually fighting in it I suppose.

          1. Pretty much everyone was running petrol during WWII- except the Soviets.
            The explosion thing was more from the dry storage of ammo.

          2. I read that the tank crews of those adopted a marketing slogan from a brand of cigarette lighter – something like ‘lights the first time, every time’

    2. If you really want to confound them, get a “Hybrid Vehicle” badge from your local GM dealer and glue it to the body. That’ll create some confused looks.

  8. I say go for it. Heck, it totally worked for Tom Clancy, too.
    “Hey Tom, how come we haven’t seen you in a while?”
    “Well, the wife got me a tank.”
    “Oh, well…do what you may.”

  9. When reviewing your “Zombie Apocalypse” check list, you can basically stop after:
    Food, water….Check.
    Guns and Ammo…..Check, Check and double Check (For the Correia Household).
    Friends with guns, ammo, food and water….Check.
    Secure shelter….Check. Yard Moose Mountain 2.0 complete with Gun tower and Zip line.
    Melon baller….Check. Because you just never know.
    Tank…..Check and Mate.

      1. He must be thinking about Donald Sutherland’s tank from “Kelly’s Heroes”!

        My thought exactly.

        “Woof woof woof woof!”

  10. That’s interesting about the Germany/U.S. states thing. If an accountant’s skills can be brought to bear, do you have any thoughts on much poorer they would be if they’d paid for their own national security since 1945 without our help?

    I’m also curious about the elevation of that photo compared to the peaks in the background. I like climbing so sitting with a campfire on one of those peaks on some summer night would be my first thought were that my area.

    1. I don’t know that Francis Peak is in that specific picture, but it’s close and sits at just under 10,000 ft. The entire range is pretty comparable in height. Picture itself probably isn’t any lower than 5000 ft. And you definitely have the right idea about what to do around here 😀

      1. That probably fits in with most hiking I’ve done; starting out around 4 or 5,000 and camping at 10 to 13,000.

      2. People who haven’t camped at even modest elevations of 9 or 10,000 ft. may not know that on the right peaks you can see some amazing sights. The key to doing it is during a full moon. I’ve been on peaks where I could see a capitol city laid out in a grid of light on one side and heat lighting which never stopped all night over the coast 50 miles away. On another I could see half an island with the lights of roads and tiny grids of small towns miles away and with a massive caldera like a perfect roulette wheel with a volcanic cone in the center 10 miles away. On the other quarter of that was the sea as you might normally see its tiny twinkling waves from a plane. You can see some really tremendous vistas.

    2. The Germans actually did a pretty good job of paying for their own defenses during the Cold War, from what I can recall. It’s just that once the bear retreated back into his lair, they decided they didn’t need it anymore.

  11. “Today I’m working on a short story for an anthology that hasn’t been announced yet. It ties into a movie franchise that I’m a fan of, so I had to do it.”

    Dang it, this is going to drive me nuts trying to figure out what this is.

          1. You know, if either “Twilight” or “Sex in the City” featured the main characters in AFV battles… they would probably be quite cool.

  12. If you’re going to be in Prague, make time for the Lobkowicz museum, just off the main castle promenade. You will NOT be disappointed, I guarantee. Find time for a Velvet beer and Stan the Man’s Bohemian Blues Band in the basement of Maly Glen, and check out the purty colored lights on the city buildings at night from the Charles Bridge!

    Might be able to pick up a lightly used M1 Abrams from somewhere in the middle east, cheap. I hear they’re just lying around for any old bearded fellow to just steal…

    1. ACTUALLY if you are in Prague you can buy old soviet gear pretty easy. I have a full Russian Airforce uniform from when I visited. I almost bought a binacle from a Soviet Submarine. Also yea Go walk the Charles bridge BEAUTIFUL city Prague. The presidential Palace has a GREAT view too. The ONE city in Europe that id actually visit again. When I was there I took in a Black light theater, that was kind of interesting

  13. Too funny! Yeah, check to see whether I have enough people to qualify for the Express / HOV lanes… in my TANK! What, can’t see through the GUN PORT? *maniacal laughter*

    The toll plaza? I thought I felt a bump a few minutes ago. Sorry about that.

  14. See if you can find a firefly – English modified Sherman with the 3″ 17pounder anti-tank gun – sweet. That or an Easy Eight – M4A3E8 – reportedly one of the best driving Sherman tanks.

    1. I think I heard the firefly had a more cramped turret due to the size of the gun, and that the army ordinance didn’t find it good enough so they developed the 76 mm gun for it, not that they found much use for it, I think I heard the 76 mm HE was found lacking compared to the 75 mm HE and that the the 75 mm was perfectly adequate as they didn’t come across that many panthers in the western front and from what I heard the allies ONLY came across THREE tigers in Europe. just three.

  15. Umm… you realize, of course, that if you get a tank, you’re going to need to turn the back 40 into a tank driving course plus a tank-sized gunnery range with largeish targets in it? NTTIAWWT, of course, but proper planning is important on an endeavor of this size.

    Plus then you can have book signing conventions and offer tank rides for outlandish fees. It’s a business write-off if you work it right… muahahahaa.

  16. As a former 19 K and instructor at Fort Knox when it had the Armored Vehicle Crew school, let me tell you about tanks. Yes, they do slide off the road. Especially when driven by people who have a hard time realizing it steers from the middle, which is located behind the driver. Instead of like a car that steers from the front. Also: track duty is a PITA. Also, tankers are short people because they have no room inside, and generally have 36″ waists or smaller to fit through the hatch without scraping off anatomy. (One of the funniest ideas ever was female tank crew, the average American woman would get hung up two different places getting into one.)

  17. I am going to somehow have to finagle an invite to the new, improved (with tank!) Yard Moose Mountain; it’s just over the mountain from me, after all.

  18. Next from Larry Correia: Live Action World of Tanks. Bring your own tank. Win valuable prizes.

  19. Or you can get a new tank: http://www.ripsawtank.com/

    Total cost of ownership would probably be lower, and I’m sure they can work with you to put a remote mount 6-barrel recoilless rifle that takes non-NFA Carl Gustav training rounds. Plus, 37mm flare launchers loaded with smoke rounds aren’t even NFA.

    I think I read somewhere that these guys designed the tank for competition for a new military scout tank, but didn’t get the contract. Still, it’ll hit 60mph, and they have a military ready design with the armor taken off.

    1. I second the vote for a Ripsaw (we’re voting on this, right?). I find the shots they have with the, uh, glamor model alongside the tank hilarious, for some reason.

  20. Make a Kickstarter to buy a tank.

    $20 for a tee-shirt saying “I helped buy Larry a Tank and All I got was this Shirt”
    $50 and you get a casing from the coax/commander’s gun
    $100 gets the object of your choice turned to confetti by the
    $250 and the same with the main gun
    $1000 for 15 minutes, a box of ammo for the coax, and a round for the main gun

  21. You may as well have the concrete guys build you a remote gun bunker like the one in Commando. I always thought it was funny that a guy who’s supposed to be the baddest dude ever didn’t keep a single gun in the house and instead had them stashed in what looked like a well house.

    And speaking of movies, I know you’re about my age. How much of your desire for a tank is driven by a certain cinematic masterpiece starring James Garner and C. Thomas Howell?

    1. That movie was based on a real stunt of Patton’s pre-WWII. Phenix City AL was and for a know still is a shithole of a city across the state line from Ft. Benning, that used to make most of its living shaking down troops on pass (they had warning signs up as late as the 80’s, I saw them).

      The scam was to arrest selected troops right before the expiration of weekend pass and jail them, then shake down his mates and anyone else they could beg money off to release him. This was the Depression, and there was no shortage of men willing to enlist for three hots and a cot, so the stateside Army could be picky. An AWOL was a pretty good guarantee of a dishonorable discharge.

      Shortly after Col. Patton took over the Armor School at Benning, the Phenix cops pulled their dodge again, The troopie they sent back couldn’t raise enough money to spring his friends, so, desperate, he went to the new CO and told him what was going on,

      Patton rounded up every tanker on post he could fit in a machine and drove the ad hoc unit to the Phenix City line. He then told the town fathers they could cough up his men or pick up their buildings. The men were returned.

      1. I lived in Phenix City, AL for about a year in 1999-2000. I can’t speak to a soldier’s perspective, but as far as I could tell, Phenix City was just a sleepy little bedroom suburb of Columbus, GA.

        1. I would not have believed you could gentrify Phenix City in just 20 years. What happened to the brothels and the “All Breed Dog Training Academy?”

      2. That $#!^ still happens in some places. I was hearing about it in 2008 shortly before I retired.

  22. I’m a Rubio supporter but glad you are voting for Cruz.

    Also, did you grade Trump on a curve? D- seems way to nice. 😉

    Oh, and I need another Monster Hunter book. I think I started having withdrawals earlier today.

    1. He rose above the F because he might, maybe, possibly, perhaps be telling the truth about one or two topics (but that is doubtful) so really, it was more of a pity D-, just to differentiate him from Bernie, who is in the corner eating crayons, and Hillary, who would harvest us for our organs.

      1. ‘he might, maybe, possibly be telling the truth about one or two topics’

        Well, you know the Michael Kinsley line about how insincere politicians are the most likely to keep their promises. I can’t wait to see the !Jeb wing of the Republicans keep Trump out of the convention by setting a big pile of their money on fire out front.

  23. Ix-nay on the zip line! Unless you have a motorized tow bar to bring you back up, you’ll have to climb that hill every time. And if the mail box is far enough away, you might want to look into an electronic signal of some sort so you know if there’s mail BEFORE you go down to check.

  24. Didn’t I read somewhere that there were going to be four or five Monster Hunter related releases over the next two years?

    1. Yep.

      Ringo has three in the spin off series.
      I’ve got the next solo Owen book next year.
      I team up with Sarah Hoyt for Monster Hunter Guardian.
      And there is an anthology of MHI short stories.

      1. In the MHI anthology (or any other future endeavors), is there any possibility of a certain MCB agent finding himself in Chicago and meeting a certain wizard?

  25. Gotta ask: Any info you can share on the new campaign? What system? Is the next of the L5R series?

  26. Well I seem to recall reading somewhere that Tom Clancy had owned a tank, so that must count for something.

  27. My father is the senior managing partner of a successful law firm in Florida. If you want to set him off on a profanity laced rant, tell him the 1% don’t pay their fair share at tax time, right after he’s done doing both his personal income tax and the firm’s business taxes.

    I remember him coming home one time after one of those 16 hour days that lawyers are known for and looking me right in the eye and saying “if I got to pass ONE piece of tax law, it would be, after paying $100,000 in taxes, the secretary of the treasury should have to come to your home, shake your hand, say ‘thank you Mr. Taxpayer, and suck your d**k.”

    I’m not sure if I can completely support that, but I can appreciate the sentiment. I think that for every $100,000 in income taxes you pay, you should get a ticket redeemable for the right to b*tch slap a Congressmen. At $250,000, it’s a senator. At $1 Million, you get to slap the president. And of course this is cumulative. You pay $10,000 in taxes for 10 years, you get your ticket and your choice of Congressman to backhand.

      1. 1) I’m OK with that.
        2) I’m not sure Harry Reid would survive the passage of this law for 24 hours.

  28. Regarding tanks: I couldn’t help but think of the Arrogant Worms’ “The Mountie Song.” The fed-up Mountie, who wants to fight crooks and enforce the law but has ended up “telling American tourists the Parliament is in session” finally tells a couple of obnoxious Americans (in a spoken bit at the end of the song) they better be careful because he has a gun. They laugh and tell him they have a whole lot of guns. “Yeah?” he says. “Where do you keep all those guns?” “In our tank.” “You’ve got a tank?” “‘Well, duh, we didn’t walk here.” “Where did you get a tank?” “Wal-Mart.” 🙂 You can see a live performance of the song on YouTube at https://youtu.be/kV48Fa6U-jl. The pertinent bit is at around 4:00 but you need the whole song. 🙂

    1. Look up a couple of skits by The Frantics. The first is “Boot to the Head”, introducing the character of Ed Gruberman, who aspires to mastery of Tae Kwon Leep. The second is “Army Careers”, where Ed tries to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces.

      The recruiter lists the various career fields Ed might sign up for.

      “…antique restoration…”

      “ANTIQUE RESTORATION?”

      “Yes! That lets you work on our helicopters.”

      In one of Jack McDevitt’s novels some spacemen needed a helicopter for a very specific purpose. They requisitioned a couple-hundred-year-old antique from a museum. It had “Canadian Air Force” on the side. I ROFLed…

    2. As soon as I check the statute of limitations, I should tell the story of hjow the NYARNG and I invaded Canada.

  29. Every time I look at the C&R list my eyes gravitate to:

    “French, Model 1897 75mm breechloading cannon of French manufacture, mfd. in or before 1898.”

    There’s one for sale on 1919a4.com for $17K,,,

    1. What’s the cutoff for being legal to own–1890 something? (I’m guessing to outlaw breach loaders.) I saw that on Pawn Stars.

      1. Destructive Devices are not covered by the May 1986 MG moratorium. If you can find an 88mm FLAK for sale in the US, you can buy it, after filling out a Form 4 and paying the tax. You don’t even need a “mother may I” from the sheriff anymore.

        You do need to not live in states like CA or NJ, however.

      2. Well, if you’re willing to get a C&R license (Curio and Relic), the cutoff is “…50 years prior to the current date“.

        I think anything made in 1899 and earlier is unregulated, in the sense that you can buy through the mail without any of the usual paperwork, background check, etc.

        A few years back, somebody found a storeroom in the Nepali royal palace that was stacked to the ceiling with Martini-Henry rifles and such. I remember seeing them advertised in various surplus catalogs.

  30. When you come to Europe, make a quick stop in Croatia. You’ll have at least one fan meet you 🙂 And it’s near Czech republic.

  31. Nice to hear about the mhi books.. thats great

    Now.. politics.. how interesting that I rate berni’s report at A- and cruz’s amewhere like d-..
    – he is about increasing the defence budget (not conservative) since nost of his donors are weapon manifacturers (someone got to buy all their products – and who better than the goverment for some new bogus war thatdoesn’t haveanything with USA
    – he is for regulating every pro-choice except gun ownership (not conservative)
    – he brands himself social conservative.. what a joke .. as president he’ll go in abudabi for example and he’ll be liberal there
    Now Bernie

    – most important – campaign finance – check
    – tax plan favoring the poor – check
    – live and let live attitude (liberal) – check
    – regulation on wall street (also a lot more important)
    – amnesty for small offenders (decreasing prison budget) – chech
    -health care – I have issues but not what you think .. now competition on insurance is forcing doctors to overcharge just a bit to much.. if the governent negotiate they will be held ransom .. and since the number of doctors is low and you can’t import from outside (medical education is not the same in Usa and europe) they will demand what they will want.. otherwise a nice dream

    Now.. is into the wind a direct sequel or do I have to read the books from the other authors? Thanks in advance

    1. That’s a whole lot of stupid right there. The most amusing part was when you listed “live and let live attitude” right next to three things that involve the Federal Government sticking it up your ass without lube.

    2. Yeah, I must have been out the day they told you that liberals “live and let live” – especially when it comes to people they disagree with.

    3. I am not sure you know anything about literllay anything. The most incomprehensible thing you said is that “overcompetition” some how causes “overcharging”. Especially in the context of America where there is very little competition when it comes to health insurance. You are an unmitigated idiot and I am shocked that you are even able to use a computer.

    4. Yeah, except for the fact hat Bernie’s a f***ing communist and been one since he stopped sh***ing in his drawers, he’s a real peach.

  32. I read your candidate analysis and had already come to the same conclusion that Cruz was the lessor of many evils (some of these clowns make my skin crawl when they talk)…including Bloomberg who promised not to run…thank god for that…OTOH now writing w/ J. Maberry ! is there anybody (who’s really good) that you’re not working with

  33. Please google Heywood Banks “If I had a bulldozer”. The song applies even better to tanks.

  34. I’m a liberal but I’m 37 so I’m from the Bill Clinton era. I actually voted for Romney because he was much closer in-line to my ideal version of a Democrat than Obama. This is the first election where I’ve felt lost. My best hope right now is that the GOP gets a brokered convention and someone really good comes out. Let’s be honest, baring a Trump third party run, he might be vindictive enough to do it, we are getting a Republican president next time out so I’m really hoping you guys can come to a consensus soon that not Trump.

  35. I’m told the chief had a SERIOUSLY shit engine Larry. Granted I get most of my armor information from the Mighty Jingles on youtube, who is admitably as he puts it “Old and crap” but he was a British sailor for like 20 years which seems to have made him much less of a prick than a lot of English people I see. He also seems to do more research about the shit he talks about than most journalists(not that that’s hard anymore) and will apologize for spreading crap info like when he read a book about Shermans being bad and realized that they guy who wrote it was an idiot that assumed the tank was bad cause all the guy did all day was go up to knocked out Shermans and decide if they were salvageable and fix them if they were.

    Honestly Shermans are probably the cheapest tanks out there and are probably more comfortable than a lot of other ones ( they were pretty large as far as ww 2 tanks go as I understand it) Though as the Lee had a SEVEN MAN crew you could probably fit into one fine… if you could find one and as you played xbox WOT you probably hate that son of a bitch with a passion that borders on the holy. It’s also fuck ugly.

    You might could find some russian tanks but those were designed for dwarves and you are a giant sooo yeah.

    1. Look for a Walker Bulldog, handsome, maneuverable machine, fancy muzzle brake to scare Dianne Feinstein, and as of the 80’s there was solid base of upgrade and maintetance suppliers. Also, a light tank, so more easily transported to different venues.

  36. Tank, Really, I’m green I tell you, green with envy, not “Global Warming” which is BS, and if I had a Tank the Warmists could kiss my a__, because Tank.

  37. Tank?

    Have you read Kit Reed’s 1965 story “Automatic Tiger”? (Yes, I just looked – the story is older than you are…)

    But the tank sounds like fun anyway.

  38. As a tanker, let me assure you, all slapping a snow plow on your tank will lead to is a wreck.

    Not that you should let that stop you from owning a tank.

  39. After that post, I just want to buy more of your stuff to enable you to buy outrageous shit, the fact that your work is awesome is just icing on the cake. Hope the tank turns out awesome.

  40. Kinda off topic but I just got a flier from a local assemblyman and I need to vent. It was a “Threat Response Guide” for “Active Shooter” situations. It said run, hide, or fight which is fine. Except under fight there wasn’t even a hint of a possibility that someone might want to have a CCW permit and shoot the SOB instead of throwing stuff.

    Done venting. And yes, I’m in Kalifornia. 13 miles from the Inland Regional Center.

      1. As my religion professor was always writing on my papers, “Elaborate.”

        Also, aren’t you too big for a tank at six foot five? (I was a quartermaster, so I don’t know except what I’ve read.)

  41. as a Canadian who is living in a province with a socialist government, god help you if sanders is elected.
    PS: in regards to the tank, in the immortal word of a unnamed marine in halo,
    “TANK BEATS EVERYTHING!!”

  42. In regards to politics, I think Sanders is going to be the next president unless something happens. He seems to be getting support from enough democrats and Hillary from what I can tell is going to nosediving. In the general, he will probably beat the GOP candidate.

    I am going to be perfectly blunt, from what I have seen and read Trump supporters and Cruz supporters are not going to compromise to prevent another democrat getting in office (especially the Trump supporters, they seem to prefer the world burning if they do not get their way). Cruz supporters (like myself) view Trump as a liar and really no different than Hillary and not a much better alternative to Sanders. Trump supporters likewise believe everything that comes out of Cruz’s mouth is a lie.

    Building off of my own personal feelings of Trump, I don’t trust him at all. I get the same feeling from him that I got from two sociopaths that I met. Quite honestly, his supporters remind me of cults.

    And to your point about Sander supporters not being good at stats and math, while that is true…… they think they are good at it. Quite confident actually. Trust me, I have suffer…. seen this.

    1. I cannot vote for Trump for President, and I sure as heck cannot vote for Hillary. While there is still hope that Cruz can pull ahead, and then pull the party together (particularly since I’ve been wondering just how committed to the Republican party, or even to voting, Trump’s supporters really are), I have been wondering: if Trump is the nominee, how hard would it be to gin up support for the likely Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson?

      1. Trump’s supporters are comitted to voting, I think that is obvious by now. They are as comitted to the republican party as you are…if their guy is nominee they’ll vote for him, if its someone they find unacceptable they wont.

        The whole #NeverTrump campaign has been a huge mistake by the GOP and its constituents. They have managed to further piss off a large group of voters that were already pissed off to begin with. When you say that you will never vote for Trump, you harden their resolve.

        I will vote for the GOP nominee. A 3rd party candidate would be pointless, regardless of who they are. It might make you feel better about who you are voting for, but you wont feel better when Hillary Clinton is elected to office.

        I’m not convinced that either Cruz or Trump can pull the party together, but together it must come.

        1. Just how committed are the Trump supporters really for Trump? Trump does better in Open primaries than he does in Closed primaries. On the one hand, this seems to mean that Trump appeals to people from across the parties…on the other hand, how many of these “supporters” are people voting for Trump in the Primaries, but not in the General, because they think he’s the worst possible nominee for the Republican party, and will ensure that the Democrat nominee will be a shoo-in?

          Regardless, in order for me to vote for Trump, he has to convince me that I should vote for him. Saying “He’s better than Hillary” won’t cut it. To make matters worse, the flip-flopping and lying that has come from Trump in this campaign has convinced me that I cannot vote for him, no matter how evil Hillary might be, in part because at this point, I cannot see a difference between the two.

          I am terrified by what Trump might do to this country. I cannot do something that would put him in power.

        2. #NeverTrump seems to have been less a calculated decision by a committee, and more individual Republicans getting ticked off at Trump and Trump supporters.

          I know one guy who decided that Trump was a 9/11 troother during the SC debate, then got really offended at all the sexual slurs Trump supporters were making about his wife and kids.

        3. The GOP establishment didn’t start #nevertrump. It was regular republicans. At the time the establishment was still trying to decide if they could suck up to Trump and make deals.

          And I’m in there, and I’m certainly not the establishment. (I’m pretty sure I’m not on John McCain’s Christmas card list).

          I don’t care how hard their resolve gets. (or their other body parts when Trump blabbers) I’m not voting for Trump. Period. I don’t want a populist demagogue on my conscience. I’ll either stay home or toss my protest vote to the Unicorn Cavalry, and I’m not alone.

          1. I never really got the abstaining argument. Way I figure it, even if you don’t want to vote for a pile of shit, it’s still in your best interests to vote for the smaller pile of shit so the smell doesn’t carry so far into your living room. Trump might be lying through his teeth about everything, yes, but there’s at least a chance he might not be, and I know for certain the Democrat candidates are serious about running the country into the ground as fast as liberally possible. So while the piles have never quite been heaped this high and smelled this pungent, it’s still an obvious choice between the two for me.

          2. Well, can’t fault you there, and in a normal year I’d agree. But in this case, a man has to draw the line somewhere, and Trump is over that line for me. I disliked Romney, didn’t like McCain, but both were far better than Obama. In this case it is crook versus thug, so the piles of shit are just too close to care.

          3. This might be the year that Mickey Mouse finally wins the Presidency on write-ins.

            Re- tanks, there’s a guy in Phoenix someplace with a Jagdpanzer, and the owner of Bulletproof Diesel has a Chieftain parked out front. Maybe call him up, he’s likely got wisdom to impart.

          4. Nah, if I’m writing in a candidate, I’m voting for Ted Cruz.

            Though hopefully I’ll be voting for Ted Cruz without writing in a candidate.

          5. Given the choice between a crook and a thug, I’d go with the crook. A crook at least may not steal from you unless you and your goods stand out; a thug, well maybe he just had a bad day and needs to kick somebody’s ass. And you just happen to cross his path…

          6. Issue is, we don’t know that Hillary’s past performance is her near future limit.

            Does her power and wealth agenda end with her death, or does she care about passing it down?

            If she cares about passing it down more, she might be convinced to give up something now in order to not poison the well for Chelsea in the future.

            If she does not, there are four possibilities of interest: Bill’s death, Bill’s dementia, her death, her dementia. Both are old enough that there is a high risk of at least one in the next four to eight years. I mention Bill because it is possible he has been a stabilizing or moderating influence on her. If she is entirely selfish, she could be very erratic if her medical condition deteriorates.

            The email thing shows that she still fears, or feared, consequences. Being elected president might negate that.

          7. I have never voted for a Democrat in a partisan election.

            Trump is running towards his impression of the right now, so one can cherrypick statements to support any model one cares to.

            Criminal gangs sometimes require their new member commit a murder before joining. This severs their ties to the law abiding world, and gives the gang additional leverage over that member.

            Is there something Trump could do that would irrevocably alienate the Democrats without blocking his path to the White House? I have yet to think of one, therefore have not found a compelling argument that he isn’t a Democrat.

            Would you vote for Trump if he went with Chelsea for his VP?

          8. >’Is there something Trump could do that would irrevocably alienate the Democrats without blocking his path to the White House?’

            Yes. He’s done it. Oppose illegal immigration. Democrats love a big quasi-legal helot class sloshing around America because it gives them clients for welfare, and for race riot protection rackets. Republicans love a big quasi-legal helot class because it holds down wages. The stupid party and crooked party have a bipartisan agreement on a policy too stupid and crooked for either party alone.

          9. That will only stick to Trump more than a few years if he wins the general, and sticks to that fraction of all the claims he has made. Neither of those is certain.

            Democrats are already voting for him. Nothing he has done so far is an inherent deal-breaker for him with them.

            You’ve got the cart before the horse where the big donors for business are concerned.

            Crazy employment law artificially inflates the costs of a filled position. These compliance costs mean a lot of money for alternatives, but not enough to get employment law fixed. Which means there is money for filling it via black market, for which ‘quasi-legal’ is barely appropriate. If someone is not criminal enough, they can make one’s costs high by going to the authorities.

          10. >Democrats are already voting for him’
            Blue collar Democrats are individually voting for Trump. Yes. But the Organized D party wants him dead. Blue collar Republicans vote for Trump. The organized R party wants him dead. When he’s dead, maybe we will see Strange New Respect.

            >’You’ve got the cart before the horse where the big donors for business are concerned.’

            If I’m wrong to think immigration lowers wages I am all the way wrong. No cart, no horse, no nothing. Increased worker supply for lower demand does not cause wages to fall- my bad.

  43. I really appreciated this post. Tanks!

    Having said that, you aren’t supposed to be able to buy a tank, you know! Because if regular folks can buy tanks, fighter jets, and nuclear weapons, then we can’t have any justification to ban firearms, knives or (gasp, the horror!) nail clippers with 1-inch nail files!

    Never mind that anyone who could afford to buy or make a tank, a fighter jet, or a nuclear weapon, will have the resources to do some very nasty things to everyone, regardless of what teh Law might say…

    (ps. Let’s not remind the hoplaphobes that not only are tanks and B-52 bombers legal to buy, but so are cannons and flame throwers. That’s why “roll and fly” bank robberies–where bank robbers will roll into a bank with a tank, pop out with their cannons and flame throwers to demand money, then fly away on hooks lowered down from their B-52 bombers–are so common.

    What, you’ve never heard of these things? That’s because they are *so* common, that it’s no longer newsworthy to cover them, not even in the local papers. I have no idea why *you’re* so out of the loop to have never heard of these things…)

  44. An extra benefit for owning a tank in a mountainous region: you can fire the main gun for avalanche prevention. Normally they’d borrow a cannon for this purpose, but if you’re right there anyway with a perfectly good tank and a willingness to chip in for the ammo as long as you get to pull the trigger on a live war shot, why not?

  45. I spent a about a month during the summer in Ogden back in the 90s, working on a contract at Hill, and I really loved it. It was some beautiful country. Being born and raised in the south, I don’t think I could not handle the winter. Even though I envy the views of your mountains over my pine trees, I think I will hang out down here. Looks awesome though.

  46. Dear Mr. Disney, I would like your permission to put tanks in my exciting new Star Wars tie-in novel. Tanks are marginalized and underrepresented in SF. Let’s not buy into tankophobia with stupid tank-elephants walking around. There is no such thing. Plus, are there no firemen in galaxies long ago and far away? I could easily shoehorn in a few firemen without yanking young minds out of what is – let’s be honest – an incredibly implausible scenario in the first place. Death Stars? For such a secret thing they seem to be falling out of the trees. Plus, there is no such thing as faster than light speed ships that can shed their skin like rock pythons and suddenly appear in another solar system.

    Are there no fires in this imaginary world? What about rain? It doesn’t seem to ever rain and nobody goes to the dentist or takes a shit.

    Yours, Trans-Ursula K. Le Guin

  47. Donald Trump is saving us from the white nationalist socialism of Bernard Sanders.

    Sanders calls himself a nationalist socialist, and got interested in politics because of Hitler’s example. Hitler’s eugenics was a normal illness of that era’s intellectuals. It combined technocracy and the belief that men could be bred like horses and hounds. Technocracy is the belief that certain methods, most effective on widgets, can be used in the same way and with the same results on humans.

    Bernard Sanders is a technocrat. Much of his support comes from those who favor the same interpretations of Darwin that popularized in the twenties the idea of breeding men as horses and hounds. Humans as they are cannot be forced to function in a large, stable, functioning socialist society. Socialism depends on remaking humanity in some way.

    The Democratic Party has killed fifty million people they didn’t consider essential. Sanders has no regret or remorse for this.

    Sanders has a higher percentage of primary votes cast than Trump. This is more significant, because fewer Democrats have voted.

    Trump is pulling white nationalist supporters from the Democratic Party. If he was not, Sanders would be winning easily.

    1. Re: Election
      I will vote for whoever I think won’t bother my guns or money as much as the alternative. Right now, that’s not Clinton.

      1. Trump is doing us the favor of making sure both Trump and Sanders will lose. Cruz beats Clinton in ten out of ten fights, because he is younger, fitter, and has better upper body strength.

        1. This is not a boxing match, it’s a chess game. How’s Cruz do at chess?

          At this point, I’m voting for the Cthulu ticket if that’s what makes it to the ballot against a Democrat.

          1. My serious answer is I’m sure that Cruz would beat Clinton in the general.

            As for the primaries, we shall see.

    1. “Dear IRS…”

      David Drake, John Ringo and Keith Laumer are going to LOVE this news!

      Ok, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. 😀

    2. A friend of mine went to a local meeting of the romance writer’s association. The speaker was an accountant discussing the business side of writing. As Mr Correia had just posted on the SHOT show, I asked her to ask about what can a writer deduct. The answer was “pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.” So a little is okay but too much gets audited. The accountant specifically used the example of an airplane, saying you can deduct pilot’s lessons, but not an airplane. So might want to double check the deductableness of a tank before purchase. (And of course you have to have enough deductions to itemize.)

  48. I’d recommend a Leopard 1. They’re pretty fast and look cool. Aren’t they on sale after countries upgraded to the Leopard 2? As for Shermans and Hellcats,I sort of thought anything from WW2 has a huge premium attached because it’s from WW2. How many Hellcats in running condition are there in the world?

  49. Sir you are a living breathing inspiration to all men. All men. If John Wayne had been in fandom instead of into hunting and fishing he would have gotten a tank. How can you not?

    I am about to cry tears of manly joy at the thought of driving around in a tank. You are awful big for a tanker though so…Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem in the future? No offense intended. You never want to offend a guy who owns a tank.

  50. Just a quick thought on the tank situation. There are a couple of good on-line sites in (the formerly) Great Britain that sell all kinds of interesting military gear.
    Also you might check and see if Oyster Bay Industries(?) is still alive and well in Oyster Bay, NY. I stopped up there back in the ’90’s just because I was nearby (and needed a couple of .50BMG barrels).
    Anyhow this was a guy who used to go all over Europe and buying up everything at old mil bases that were being closed. He told a couple of stories about finding some German 88’s on a Portugal air base that were still being used and how he spent a couple of weeks getting an old Sherman to run.
    Anyhow the point is that the dude may still have some seriously neat s**t overseas and if you talk nice he might be convinced to part with it.
    Only place I ever SAW a Le Mat CARBINE hanging on the wall…

    After the redoubt is finished you need to get a plaque made that says The OTHER Man in the High Castle, heh, heh, heh.

  51. What a coincidence! I’m reading a book right now about tank combat in WWII between Germany and Russia (Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941 – 1942, by Robert Forczyk), and it’s got a picture of two Matilda tanks that slid off the road and rolled over. So when you get your tank, don’t assume it can’t slide off the road.

  52. I do like it when people contradict the narrative that anyone considered “right-wing” is automatically a Trump fan. I’m afraid I did buy into that -briefly- if only because the all the “liberal” media hate him so much. -sigh- But still: owning a tank. Well if owning a mountain is cool, then owning a tank and a mountain must be practically cryogenic.

  53. Might I recommend you buy American and go with an M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle? It comes with a factory installed plow, an A frame boom that lifts 9 tons, an 11 ton pulling capacity winch, and a 165mm main gun. What’s that other tank owners? Your gun is 105mm… I win. (bonus: HESH round against other tanks may liquefy the crew but not penetrate the tank, allowing you to increase the size of your tank inventory with acceptable levels of squeegee work)

  54. “How often do you see cars slid off the side of the road in winter? All the time. How often do you see tanks?”

    Germany, 1981. One in my platoon, as it so happens.

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