The number of people in the U.S. who died of alcohol-related causes soared during the pandemic, as routines were upended, support networks frayed and treatment was delayed, a new study found.

Deaths were up 25% in 2020 compared with 2019, the report said.https://t.co/6LYVCs2CV7

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 22, 2022

I have been covering this for a year.

Our septuagenarian and octogenarian political elite saved themselves from a virus by sacrificing the most vulnerable younger people, especially children and those with emotional or substance abuse problems.

I believe there is a special place in hell for the Silent Generation and early Boomers who decided to hang onto wealth and power by destroying the generations that came after them.

Ron DeSantis is far better at this than Trump ever was.

By allowing men to compete in women's sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud.

In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota's Emma Weyant as the best women's swimmer in the 500y freestyle. pic.twitter.com/tBmFxFE3q6

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 22, 2022

Not a mean Tweet.

An act by a sitting governor acknowledging the accomplishment of the true winner of the NCAA swim meet and defending women and girls from unfair competition.

He used both his office and social media to advance a Conservative position that is overwhelmingly supported by moderates.

This was a culture war Blitzkrieg maneuver.

Very well played.

Those of us who have the pleasure to have meet and shoot with him could not be any happier.

Kevin Creighton has been named Managing Editor, Digital for Shooting Illustrated, the definitive source for reviews of guns, gear, ammunition and more.

Prior to joining Shooting Illustrated, Creighton was the executive editor of the “School of Guns” blog at Ammoman.com. He was previously a contributor to ShootingIllustrated.com and other NRA Publications, as well as a well-known blogger in his own right.

In many ways, he epitomizes the changing face of the American gun owner. During his youth, he enjoyed shooting guns in the rural areas of Western Canada, but it was the harsh reality of modern life and the need for diligent personal protection that drives his current interest in firearms.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Kevin Creighton to the Shooting Illustrated team,” said Editor-in-Chief Ed Friedman. “His love for and knowledge about firearms are exceeded only by his digital-publishing skills, and we look forward to the significant growth he will bring to our already industry-leading website, ShootingIllustrated.com.”

Creighton brings more than 20 years of writing, editing and photography experience, as well as hundreds of hours of firearms training from top-level trainers from all over the country. Along with writing about guns and accessories, he teaches firearms training in his home state of Florida.

“NRA Publications is delighted to have Kevin Creighton join the Shooting Illustrated editorial team,” said NRA Publications Editorial Director Mark Keefe. “His background, extensive knowledge of analytics, experience and work ethic will make him an invaluable member of the NRA Publications digital team.”

“I am thrilled beyond measure to join Shooting Illustrated and work with some of the best minds in firearms journalism,” Creighton said. “Working at the NRA means working at the highest level, and I honored to be a part of the legacy of this proud organization.”

NRA Publications Names Creighton as Managing Editor, Digital for <em>Shooting Illustrated</em> | Shooting Wire

Democrats in Florida are stuck in their pathetic echo chamber and fail to see what Floridians are really for or against.

Let me get this straight, instead of blaming Republicans and Ron DeSantis for the hateful and bigoted “don’t say gay” bill, we are fighting each other over who is more against the bill. Give me a f*cking break!!! pic.twitter.com/4Ul5v4WpKs

— Annette Taddeo (She/Her/Ella) (@Annette_Taddeo) March 23, 2022

And screen capture for the record.

Democrats are fighting among each other about who is more papist than the Pope just to attract the core leftist fanatics to vote for them in the primaries. That simple. They have to know or at least suspect they do not stand a chance against DeSantis but still need to keep collecting relevance points amongst the faithful.

And as long as DeSantis remains in Tallahassee, no democrat has a chance to sit in the Governor’s office. I wouldn’t be surprised if the secretly support him to run for president to locate the post.

Reader Ziggy89 sent me this very interesting article:

In early March, Telenko saw on social media a photograph of a Russian Pantsir-S1 missile system located near the Ukrainian city of Kherson. His eyes went immediately to the system’s tires. Rather than using high-quality, more expensive tires that could support the tremendous weight of the Pantsir-S1, the Russian army had opted for cheaper, low-quality, Chinese-made tires. He also noticed they were in terrible shape because they had not been properly maintained.

In a widely read Twitter thread, Telenko identified the problems caused by the Russian army’s failure to properly maintain not only this specific Pantsir, but neglect of the entire fleet.

Defense Expert Spots Massive Issue with Russia Trucks, Indicates Entire War’s About to Change (westernjournal.com)

Any country’s military forces who is worth anything*, is closely following the Ukranian conflict to see the performance of the hardware being used and the readiness of the personnel involved in the action. And it is not a simple issue of taking sides in the name of God, Justice and Flying White Unicorned Doves but just the serious business of war: What would happen if we have to face this fuckers in the battlefield? Does my gear hold up against their gear? What are their strengths and weaknesses?  How much do I need to spend to take out one (tank/chopper/APC/SAM site/etc.)?

Just about now and by the way the Soviets Russians are being held by a numerically inferior force, China should be licking its chops about its chances of maybe taking a bite or two of the Siberian resources.  And the supply chain to the East border is a long and nasty one compared to sending more stuff to Next Room Ukraine. A conventional war may not go nicely for Putin and the Soviet Russian Military because even if the Chinese stuff is about the same quality as the Moscow crap, they probably have 20 or 30 times more and China really does not give a crap about sacrificing hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the battlefield and subsequent evacuation.

Anyway, that is my very uninformed and non-expert opinion.

Via LawDog via FB.