Word of the Day:

BUMFUZZLE (verb) – to confuse or fluster.

Quote of the Day:

“We don’t have guidance. We have a tweet. We don’t execute policy based on a tweet,” Capt. Jeff Davis, Dept of Defense.

*Refer to streiff’s excellent retelling of events as they unfolded Wednesday morning.

ICYMI File

An Iraq and Afghanistan Army Veteran’s contrasting response to Trump’s transgender burp. I respectfully disagree with the soldier’s opinion on the whole, but he did make a couple of valid implementation queries and suggestions the President may do well to consider.

1. How would the military discharge [yet to be determined number] of gender dysphoric soldiers?
2. Use precedence as a guide, as well as his hand-picked Secretary of Defense’s advice (i.e. six-month extension) to execute Obama’s blanket lifting of the military’s transgender ban.
3. Give back $84 million tax dollars the military spends on erectile dysfunction drugs (not his point, but a good idea nonetheless).
4. The mentally ill combatant will lie; remain on the battlefield untreated. What will be the military response to them?

If Mike Rogers’ amendment to the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act is adopted, the iconic Colt M1911A1 may soon be available to civilians. Yup. A .45 revolver, famously used by Dean Winchester (Supernatural), could be yours when the military clears out 100,000 surplus Colts to make room for the retiring Beretta M9.

“On July 14, House lawmakers passed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, along with an amendment tacked on by Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama. Rogers’ amendment, if okayed by the Senate, will allow the Civilian Marksmanship Program to receive, inspect, grade, and prepare the surplus 1911s for sale to the waiting public.”

“In parting with excess, outdated guns, the Army will save a little cash as well. Storing surplus weapons is more expensive than you’d think (representatives from Rogers’ office have estimated the cost at around $200,000 per year). With that in mind, Army officials are psyched to sell off the pistols to open up storage space for the M9s, as soldiers transition to the Modular Handgun System’s M17 and M18 pistols.”

Any questions about firearms other than tv trivia, please ask diamondback in the comments section directly below this diary.

The first female Navy Seal could be a guy. The story begins awesomely enough announcing a couple of female candidates moving swiftly through the pipeline to become the best of the best of the best. Then after extolling their accomplishments and future course, “The Navy has its First Female Applicants for Seal Officer and Special Boat Units,” becomes misleading midway down the page.

First, there’s this:

It’s possible, however, that the first female member of these elite communities will come not from the outside, but from within. In October, a SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant Craft-crewman) petty officer notified their chain-of-command that they identified as being transgender, Salata confirmed to Military.com.

Then, this:

According to Navy policy guidance released last fall, a sailor must receive a doctor’s diagnosis of medical necessity and command approval to begin the gender transition process, which can take a variety of different forms, from counseling and hormone therapy to surgery. Sailors must also prove they can pass the physical standards and requirements of the gender to which they are transitioning.

Finally, this:

These first female candidates represent a major milestone for the Navy, which has previously allowed women into every career field except the SEALs and SWCC community. A successful candidate would also break ground for military special operations.

Bumfuzzle: a candidate for the Navy Seal program who is a man who thinks he’s a woman competing with men as a woman.

Welcome, RedStateres, to the Company WaterCooler! It’s RedState’s only Daily open thread. Enjoy!