Thank you for your service to your country. Thank you for fighting for our freedom and our right to deny you your freedom. What you did was not nearly as courageous as those Americans who have rolled up their sleeves. I regret that the majority has not removed their leaders from power and as such have declared your position to be worthy of consequences for acting like an idiot, kicking and screaming, and sabotaging the (public health) effort.
Again, Pate. Thanks for keeping our country free for us to deny you any rights that the majority deems you unworthy of having as a filthy disease ridden, untermench.*
*Thank goodness there are "real hero's" who have rolled up their sleeves as opposed to those who went to war. Only those real heros are worthy of full participation in the society they elected to protect by their selfishness, praiseworthy, courageous act... Not all heros wear capes (or are issued dog tags.)
Honestly, I did not do much on that keeping the country free and protecting Constitutional Rights front. As I recall, the only thing of note that I did during my service was construct a couple of hammocks:
This of course during the prepandemic thyme period. You know, perhaps I should start making those things again, it might take my mind off of this
CornHoleEbola-19.5 silliness.
I could sell them to finance my dream of going to Hawaii and getting a Botany degree. Heck, I could go visit the Chinook unit there who are indirectly responsible for the whole Hammock projeckt in the first place... We were there to relieve that Hawaiian Chinook unit, and got to hang out with them for a few weeks of overlapping service: theirs ending and ours beginning.
One of the soldiers from that unit built hammocks in their spare thyme, and I spotted their hammock making "rig" in the hangar and asked WTAF is this?
I think I ended up using the "hammock rig" the soldier left behind, but had to figure out on my own how exactly it was done...
I made the
Hammock MkI that was tested to destruction during the weight/stress test: made my heavyset "Battle Buddy" jump in thing. Literally
jump in it which broke the pallet-strake I was using as a spreader bar.
The
Hammock MkII was an unfinished "proof-of-concept" on an improved weaving technique, still using the heavily weathered and weak pallet-strake spreader bar.
Then finally the
Hammock MkIII which was constructed of brand-new pine 2x4's that were hand polished with Tung Oil in several coats until they had a finish resembling a Louisville Slugger baseball bat. I drilled out the holes for the ropes, and proceeded to order brand new three strand 3/8" nylon rope ostensibly for new Blade Ropes for the helicopters. I actually did replace the Blade Ropes, but the 1000 feet I requisitioned was WAY more than neccessary for our 6 Helicopter fleet.
So I helped myself to the excess, I unwound the 3/8" three-strand rope and used that for the body of the hammock, mainly because I felt that would be more comfortable than 3/8" rope
and would triple my supply of material per linear foot... I almost finished that thing before the end of the deployment, but had to drop-ship it back home. It is still sitting, un-boxed, in the corner of my front room these 10 years later.
I need to construct the two side ropes that will prevent the occupant from rolling out of the thing. I have the material for that I just have to remember how to or dig out my "Sailor's Book of Knots and Splices" and make these:
stop-knots on the four ends of the side ropes. I think those are "double-wall and crown" knots, or something similarly named.
As I recall, I built the thing big enough for 1.5x people to fit into assuming that the individual(s) were <6ft and <200lbs each. I planted two American Plum trees in the backyard several years ago to hang it from, but they are not quite big enough I do not think... I have also acquired a hammock spreader that should work, but I don't want to set it up because it would be a bitch to mow around.
How much do you think I could charge for a hammock modeled on the
Hammock MkIII?
That could be a great export market product for the
People's Free Democratic Republic of pate. I have contacts with a local sawmill that stocks weird specialty woods one would not typically find at Home Depot &c: Mulberry, Ginko, Walnut, various Oak...
I bet a basic pine 2x4 based hammock would sell for $500 at minimum, and the "fancy" ones made from whatever would only make the price go up.
People are going to need a nice hammock to relax in during these coming rounds of
CHE-19.5 lockdowns.
I think the first thing I should do is find a reliable supplier of Round Tuits:
Nautical Shore
