Road trip to Washington.

I'm off to daughter's wedding in DC today.  Posting may be a bit light til I get home. 

Fire the bums

In response to the VA scandal, Congress passed a law giving the VA chief more authority to fire senior VA bureaucrats.  If this is a real bill, one with teeth, it is a big step forward.  Right now it is impossible to fire government workers.  We couldn't even fire guys we caught stealing out of the base supply warehouse.  This silly policy goes back to the 1880's civil service reform act.  In the real old days, all government jobs were political, and each time the administration changed hands from democrat to republican and back again, there was a wholesale firing of all government workers.  They were replaced with loyal party members of the winning side, resulting in a federal workforce strong on party loyalty, and little else. 
   They overdid it, and today, it is impossible to fire anyone.  This system applies everywhere except the armed services. 
   We would get better government if we revised the civil service regulations to allow dismissal for cause.  Cause must be documented.  Conviction of a felony in court, espionage, politicking on government time, failure to get to work on time,  sassing supervisors, and failure to pay lawful taxes, and gross incompetence are reasonable causes.  Plus we need an up or out policy.  Workers have to qualify, pass tests for, the next higher grade periodically.  Workers who fail to get promoted, get laid off.  Young guy joins up as GS-bottom-of-the-ladder grade.  He has say three years to work up to GS-next-rung-on-ladder grade.  If he cannot make it, he ain't worth keeping around.  Every three years he has to make the next grade.  Up or out. 
   Incidentally.  The VA employees were on NPR this morning complaining of unfairness in the new law.  The law only applies to the upper ranks of the VA, the janitors and such don't get hit. 

Army Green

The US Army has spent 15 years and $100 million dollars developing a lead free bullet for the venerable M16 rifle.  The new round, M855A1, uses a copper slug instead of a lead one.  Actually the bullet is trickier than that, it has a hardened steel penetrator bolt down the center and a steel cap for armor piercing.  The round is finally in service.  The American Rifleman article didn't give the cost per round, the $100 million is non recurring up front R&D expenses.  The article has a lot of deep riflery talk but apparently the new round works as well as the older one it replaces.  They changed the propellant, raising muzzle velocity (good) and chamber pressure (bad).  It will penetrate 3/8 inch mild steel at 350 meters which is impressive for a 22 caliber rifle.  That ought to stop any vehicle short of a tank or APC. 
   I'm so glad we have the money to be so green.   The lead in bullets is not harmful except when the bullet hits you.  

Google Maps, enemy of the trees

I want to print a map, to take with me in the car.  Can I just get ONE sheet printed? Noo.  Everytime it prints the map and then wastes a second sheet of paper printing out the Google Logo.

The New York Times

For a national mouthpiece, they certainly have some quirks.  They promote  Jill Abramson to editor, and then fire her a few weeks later.  That makes it a snakepit, where you have to constantly watch your back.  Does not sound like a pleasant place to work. 
   This morning, on NPR, I hear that Jill still loves the Times, and has the Times logo tattooed on her back. Wow!  Except for ugly bikers with "Harley" tattoos, I never heard of anyone with a company tat before. 
Gotta be a weird place that Times.

Indict Chinese hackers or US executives?

The TV news is talking about indictments against Chinese hackers for hacking into US companies and taking trade secrets, classified info, and who knows what.  We won't talk about jurisdiction here, indictments only have force if you can lay your hands on the miscreants.  If they are in China, that doesn't work. 
  I'd like to know what is being done to executives in the US targets.   If they had enforced proper security they would not have gotten hacked.  For that matter, we could have words with Microsoft about gaping security holes in Windows. 

So what is Boko Haram?

Well, since they been kidnapping school girls by the hundred, I'd call them terrorists.  Hillary's State Department is taking flack 'cause they failed to put Boko Haram on the official terrorist list two years ago.  But I heard Fox News call them "rebels" the other day, and NPR called them "militants" just this morning.  Newsies need to wake up and smell the coffee.