Concerning Fort Knox

This was posted by Elon Musk within the hour:

 

pic.twitter.com/yrClmRrmiP

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2025

Trump and Musk To Visit Fort Knox

Cue up the main theme from Goldfinger...

  

 

DOGE To Look At Fort Knox?

Above, Ken Adam's Fort Knox set in Goldfinger. Eon Productions/Danjaq photo.

With DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) beginning their work, led by Elon Musk, there are several government agencies that are targets for their audits. They started with USAID with interesting results.

It is said that the IRS may be audited soon. 

One place that should be audited, at least according to Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, is Fort Knox, where the U.S. gold depository is located. How much gold is there is a secret. Even the interior of Fort Knox is a secret. The Fort Knox set in Goldfinger came from set designer Ken Adam's imagination.

A couple of years ago, I blogged an article on Fort Knox with the title, "Does Fort Knox Still Have Gold?" It is probably a safe guess that it does, but the question remains, how much?

The Federalist blog posted an article, "Elon Musk to audit Fort Knox Gold?" It would be interesting to find out how much gold is there and, also, who owns it. 

Considering that gold's current COMEX spot price is around $2,913/toz, it would be a good idea to audit Fort Knox to see just how much gold is there.

Does Fort Knox Still Have Gold?

Above, Fort Knox U.S. Bullion Depository.

One of the most memorable movie sets in film has to be the Fort Knox set in Goldfinger (1964), the third James Bond movie starring Sean Connery.

The set design by Ken Adam, it is said, bears no resemblance to the real Fort Knox gold depository facility. 

United States Gold Bureau has posted an article asking, "Does Fort Knox Still Have Gold?" 

The article begins with:

If you didn't learn about Fort Knox in history class, you may be aware of it from the James Bond movie Goldfinger. Have you ever wondered what Fort Knox is really like and how much gold the U.S. holds there?

Fort Knox is one of the most secret and secure places in the United States. Few people get to go inside, so it's a popular subject for speculation. 

The facility doesn't allow visitors, so it's impossible to know exactly how much gold there is at Fort Knox. Whether you're a gold investor or just curious about this bullion bunker in Kentucky, Fort Knox gold is a fascinating subject.

Here's a closer look at Fort Knox and its mysterious gold supply.

To read more, go here. 

Willys M38A1 Jeeps In "Goldfinger"

Above, a M38A1 Willys Jeep in Goldfinger. IMCDb.org photo.

At the time that the James Bond movie, Goldfinger (1964) was made, the Willys Jeep M38A1 had been in production for twelve years.

Last night, I was watching Goldfinger. It had been a while since I last viewed it. During prior viewings, my attention wasn't focused on the Jeeps in the movie. Since I now have a 1952 M38A1, they caught my attention. I spotted two Willys M38A1 Jeeps in the movie. (IMCDb lists them as 1951 models in error.)

During the scenes leading up to the attack on Fort Knox in Kentucky, one M38A1 was in the caravan going to Fort Knox. There was another M38A1 containing soldiers supposedly killed by Delta 9 nerve gas.

After spotting them, I got out my cell phone and snapped some photos of the two Jeeps from my television screen.

Here they are:

 

It would be interesting if some Jeep enthusiasts owns these Jeeps today.

800 Rare Gold Coins Discovered In Kentucky Cornfield

Since I bought my house in 2018 in New Mexico, the only interesting thing found on the land were pieces of Anasazi pottery pieces.

A Kentucky farmer was far luckier. He found over 800 rare gold and silver coins buried in his cornfield. The coins date to the Civil War and earlier.

WSB-TV reported:

The Great Kentucky Hoard, as it has been dubbed by numismatists, has mostly U.S. gold coins dating between 1840 and 1863. The value of the coins could exceed $2 million, WAVE-TV reported.

According to Coin World, the coins unearthed include 741 Coronet and Indian Head gold dollars, a number of 1863 Coronet $20 double eagles and small amounts of Coronet $10 eagles and Seated Liberty silver issues.

The coins are dated from 1840 to 1862 and are estimated at a value exceeding $2 million. https://t.co/1otcb5pypl

— WAVE (@wave3news) July 13, 2023

The gold dollars are dated from 1850 through 1862, according to Coin World. Their conditions are remarkably good, considering their age.

“Underneath were just these phenomenally beautiful, preserved coins,” Certified Collectibles Group Executive Vice President Andrew Salzberg told WAVE. “And I think they were preserved so well because they weren’t exposed to air, and they were buried in the ground.”

The person who found the coins and where they were found have not been revealed. The reason why the coins were buried are also unclear, although it is possible that the owner buried it during the Civil War to protect his stash from Union or Confederate armies.

Maybe I should get a metal detector and dig around.

To read more, go here. 

Shots Fired In National Park After Bigfoot Sighting

It would be pretty unnerving, to say the least, to be woken up in the middle of the night, while camping in the backcountry of a national park to the sound of gunshots.

It would also be quite unnerving to hear strange noises during the night as well.

This is what allegedly happened at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.

According to WRBL:

MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. (WKRN) — Federal officials are investigating an incident involving at least one gunshot fired over the weekend at Mammoth Cave National Park that was prompted by an alleged sighting of Bigfoot.

A spokesperson for the national park said law enforcement rangers responded around 2 a.m.

Sunday to an incident involving a person with a firearm at one of the park’s backcountry campsites.

While the park did not release any additional information, a camper named Brad Ginn told News 2 that he and his girlfriend were there at the time.

Ginn said the two went to sleep around 11 p.m. and woke up around 1 a.m. to people shining flashlights on their tent.

The couple exited their tent to find a man and his young son approaching.

According to Ginn, the man explained that something had destroyed his campsite and that he kept hearing strange sounds, so he was going to investigate because this was “Bigfoot Country.”

Ginn’s girlfriend claimed she heard the same sounds.

To read the rest of the story, go here. 

Soros Group Member Behind Rented U-Haul In Louisville, Kentucky

A woman who works for a George Soros-backed group was found to be the renter of a U-Haul truck that was seen distributing signs and shields in Louisville, Kentucky before the protests turned violent.

According to The Gateway Pundit:

The U-Haul that began distributing riot supplies in Louisville immediately following the announcement that no officers would be charged for Breonna Taylor’s death was rented to Holly Zoller of the Louisville Bail Initiative.

The pre-parked truck was loaded with shields painted with anti-police messages, umbrellas, gas masks, and other riot supplies.

Zoller confirmed it was her in a phone call from a concerned citizen who pretended to work for the rental company. You can listen to it in full at the end of this article.

 

Above, Holly Zoller of the Louisville Bail Initiative.

It has been long-suspected that Soros groups are behind the rioting of Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA, now we have proof.

To read more, go here.

Louisville, Kentucky: A Planned Insurrection

With violence breaking out in Louisville, Kentucky last night, including the attempted murder of two police officers, actor James Woods unloaded both barrels on the Democrat Party:

And commentator Laura Ingraham asked, "Who is paid for the U-Haul?" for the rioters. The riots were not spontaneous, they were planned and well-organized.

Her Tweet:

This is obviously a planned and organized insurrection and it must be put down immediately!

Sandmann Family Hires Big Gun Libel Lawyer

Above, Nick Sandmann (left) and Nathan Phillips.

Some members of the news media are going to wish they kept their traps shut over the Covington, Kentucky fracas.

Big League Politics reported:

The family of Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann has hired top Atlanta libel lawyer L. Lin Wood to represent their son as they potentially embark on lawsuits against the mainstream media outlets that smeared the adolescent.  

The witch hunt against the Covington Catholic students — which coincides with speculation that Catholic Amy Coney Barrett could be nominated to the Supreme Court — has disgraced the mainstream news media and galvanized American patriots across the country. 

L. Lin Wood is not a man to be messed with.

The article also includes a list of "reporters" who are potential libel suit defendants. I'm sure the list will eventually become bigger.

To read more, go here. 

MAGA Hats Driving Leftists Into Voter Intimidation

Above, yours truly with my MAGA (or is it LMAGA?) hat. 

Two years ago, during the 2016 presidential campaign, I obtained some campaign buttons and a "Let's Make America Great Again" baseball cap. I am a collector of political Americana and saw the "MAGA hat" as the hottest item to get. 

Little did I know at the time that these MAGA hats put out by the Trump campaign would arouse extreme passion two years later.

"Let's Make America Great Again" or "Make America Great Again" is not a new campaign slogan. The 1980 Ronald Reagan campaign used this slogan, so it's hardly original.

But today, altercations and other incidents have been sparked by liberals and leftists whenever they see a Trump supporter wearing one in public. Some wearers have been assaulted. 

A "major" incident took place a few days ago in Covington, Kentucky when some high schoolers were wearing MAGA hats. The incident was totally mischaracterized by the media and their leftist lackeys, which may lead to defamation lawsuits against several media outlets.

Now, the left is trying to equate MAGA hats with KKK hoods. This is total insanity. Or is it?

Laura Ingraham has an excellent opinion piece on all this posted at Fox News.

She wrote:

There's so much news to cover every day in Trump World, that you'd think the press would stick to real reporting and analysis on important political developments. 

But, nooo. So, move over Anna Wintour, because left-wing malefactors are now in the business of dissing fashion accessories -- The Trump "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hats.

"The MAGA hat carries a certain connotation that provokes a conditioned reaction from many people, especially from marginalized people," CNN's Don Lemon said. 

"This 'Make America Great Again' hat is just as maddening and frustrating and triggering for me to look at, as a KKK hood," said CNN commentator Angela Rye.

In the wake of the Covington Catholic High School fracas, the red MAGA has now become a talisman of evil and a symbol of white supremacy. Savannah Guthrie brought it up with a student at the center of the controversy, Nick Sandmann, on "Today." "Do you think if you weren't wearing that hat this might not have happened or it might have been different?" she asked him. Sandmann replied, "That's possible. But I would have to assume what Mr. Phillips was thinking and rather let him speak for why he came up to us." 

So the red hat now is apparently the Annabelle of head coverings, a thing capable of unleashing evil wherever it's seen. There is also a subtext here that's meant to intimidate. The left wants to take away your right to wear whatever the heck you want. It's weird.

According to Ingraham, the issue really isn't about MAGA hats, the issue is really about 2020:

Even in the end, it's really not about the hat, is it? It's about 2020. Trump-hating fanatics aim to deprive the president of any opportunity to brand his re-election campaign. In other words, any Trump paraphernalia will be verboten. 

I thought about this today, and it's actually in its own way a form of voter intimidation and potentially lethal with consequences that are incredibly destructive.

If they don't like it, f*ck 'em!

To read more (and see a video), go here.

Sounds Like Something From The Onion

Above, Haruo Nakajima and yours truly at the 2013 Mad Monster Party.

The Onion is a satirical website of fake, but humorous news. What was posted today on Facebook sounds like something The Onion would post, but it is real.

Eben McGarr, the organizer of the Mad Monster Party conventions, posted a legal action document filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that was apparently put forth by Monster Energy Company (the maker of Monster energy drinks). They contend that Mad Monster Party is in some sort of infringement of their alleged trademark of the word "monster". I kid you not!

Here it is:

Supposedly, they contend that Mad Monster Party's use of the word "monster" is a trademark infringement. Really? If that's the case, then anyone (such as the TV show, Monster Madhouse) using the word "monster" would also be infringing on their trademark. [Since we don't have the full document, it looks like that McGarr may have applied to trademark the "Mad Monster Party" convention name (which is a reasonable thing to do), but Monster Energy Company is opposing it.]

[I attended the 2013 Mad Monster Party convention as the "wrangler" for Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima.]

This reminds me of what the state of Kentucky did years ago. They obtained a trademark for the word "Kentucky" and that anyone using that word is infringing. That's why Kentucky Fried Chicken changed their name to KFC.

This is nuts! Will Mad Monster Party have to change their name to MMP if Monster Energy Company prevails?

Unique Camping Spots With Harvest Hosts

Above, the Ohio River from Illinois with Kentucky across the river. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On occasion, finding a campsite to spend the night at is a hit & miss exercise.

But, there is a new app by Harvest Hosts that will make it a lot easier to find a campsite. And what they have to offer are unique campsites (membership required).

According to Lonely Planet:

There’s nothing quite like the freedom that comes with taking to the open road for an epic adventure. But for RV and campervan enthusiasts, one of the trickier aspects of a trip can be finding a spot to settle down for the night. With that in mind, US-based company Harvest Hosts has assembled a bespoke list of unique camping experiences across the country, allowing guests to book in ahead of time to stay at vineyards, farms, breweries and historical sites.

To read more, go here.

Kentucky Civil War History

Above, a view of Paducah, Kentucky across the Ohio River from Fort
 Massac State Park in Metropolis, Illinois. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last November, I drove from Los Angeles to Metropolis, Illinois to attend Noel Neill's celebration of life services. While there, I stayed at the Fort Massac State Park campground. The state park is situated at the Ohio River. 

Across the Ohio River is Paducah, Kentucky. I drove through Paducah while en route to Memphis, Tennessee (it was about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Metropolis).

A longtime friend, Arleigh R. Kerr, now lives in Lexington, Kentucky and recently completed a class on the Civil War history of Kentucky. He sent a general email to several of us history buffs and I received his permission to post it here. Paducah gets a mention in his email (highlighted by me).

He wrote:

Just finished a four day class on the Civil War in Kentucky.  Learned lots of interesting stuff — some of which follows.  Three of the four classes were in a “class room”, fourth and last was a walking tour of the Perryville Battlefield — the decisive battle in Kentucky that saved Kentucky for the Union. 

First off, did you know that Kentucky was neutral during the Civil War?  Yup.  Fort Sumter incident was on April 12, 1861.  In May 1861, Kentucky legislature declared neutrality and refused to assist either side or supply troops.  Even though slavery was legal in Kentucky, the population and the legislature were decidedly pro-Union, while the governor was pro-Southern. 

Sept 4, 1861, Confederates were to the first to violate Kentucky’s neutrality by invading western Kentucky and building Fort DuRussy near Columbus to control the upper reaches of the Mississippi River.  Two days later, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant crossed the Mississippi and entered Paducah, Kentucky.  Three days after that, Kentucky Legislature voted resolution ordering the Confederates to withdraw, but only the Confederates.  The governor vetoed the resolution.  Legislature overrode the veto and ordered the US flag to be flown over the capitol.  Sept 18, 1861 Legislature voted to end neutrality and took the side of the Union. 

Over the next year, there were a number of Confederate attempts to invade Kentucky, none of which were successful.  The south desperately wanted Kentucky.  Kentucky was the economic center of the area.  They even reserved the center star in the Confederate battle flag for Kentucky.  The North too, saw Kentucky as the key to control the west.  At the beginning of the war, Lincoln is supposed to have said, “I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky”. 

Fall of 1862, the Rebels made another attempt to take Kentucky.  They easily defeated Union forces at the battles of Richmond and Munfordville.  They captured Lexington and the state capital of Frankfort.  Then they tried to install a puppet pro-Confederate governor, only to have the inauguration ceremony interrupted by Union cavalry.   

About an hour southwest of where I live in Lexington is Perryville.  And it’s there where two armies converged on October 9, 1862.  55,000 Union troops versus 17,000 Rebels. 

After an afternoon of fighting, Confederates had pushed back the Union forces about a mile.  Fighting stopped for the night, by morning the Rebel army had withdrawn — they discovered fresh Union troops were arriving.  Confederates retreated into Tennessee and never again threatened Kentucky. 

Interesting little tidbits.  Kentucky U. S. Senator John Crittenden had two sons: Thomas, who became a Union general and George who was general in the Confederate Army.

Above, the Interstate 24 Bridge that connects Metropolis, Illinois and Paducah, Kentucky. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to stateparks.com:

[Fort Massac] served briefly as a training camp during the early years of the Civil War, marking the last time U.S. troops were stationed at the site. The fort was abandoned after a measles epidemic in 1861-62 claimed the lives of a substantial number of soldiers of the Third Illinois Cavalry and the 131st Illinois Infantry, who were using the fort as an encampment.

It is interesting that Gen. Grant's forces entered Kentucky at Paducah. 

Matt Bevin Wins Kentucky Governorship In A Rout!

Despite next-to-nothing support by the GOP establishment (well, that's no surprise), Republican Matt Bevin won the Kentucky governorship.

The Democrat, Jack Conway, ran a dirty, mud-slinging campaign. He had his ass handed to him by the voters.

According to Politico:

Republican Matt Bevin easily won Kentucky’s governorship on Tuesday, as the GOP made major inroads in a state that had stubbornly resisted the party at the state level even as it voted reliably Republican in federal contests in recent years. 

Bevin, a self-funding investment manager, rode a late surge of outside support from national Republicans to defeat Democrat Jack Conway, 53 percent to 44 percent, according to The Associated Press. Bevin will become just the second Republican to inhabit the governor’s mansion in Frankfort in more than four decades.

In the interests of full disclosure, I was a contributor to Bevin's campaign.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/kentucky-governor-race-matt-bevin-wins-215502#ixzz3qUY30wvq

In Today's Mailbox

Above, U.S. Senate candidate Matt Bevin. Photo by Matt Bevin campaign.

A nice thank-you letter arrived today from Kentucky's U.S. Senate candidate Matt Bevin.

Bevin is a running against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the GOP primary this year. As I am disgusted with McConnell's performance as Minority Leader and his mudslinging campaign, I made a campaign contribution to Bevin. The letter thanked me for my contribution to the campaign.

Bevin has been endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund, Madison Project and Gun Owners of America. He has also the backing by such groups as the United Kentucky Tea Party and Take Back Kentucky. Influential individuals such as Glenn Beck, Mark Levin and Erick Erickson are also backing Bevin.

For more on Matt Bevin's campaign, go to MattBevin.com.

How To Get Rid Of A Dead Dog In New York

A friend of mine just returned from vacationing in Kentucky to visit his son and to meet his son's girlfriend.

Apparently the girlfriend hit it off with my friend and his wife as she told them this story of one of her girlfiends:

My son's girlfriend Jackie told us this story about one of her girlfriends. This girl, Amy, was in New York City for three months working as an intern during college. The girl was fortunate enough to be able to housesit for some family friends who were out of the country. As it happened, the family’s dog, an 80-pound golden retriever, died while she was there, alone. She called the family and told them what happened; they told her to take the dog to the vet. Easier said than done, Amy’s only a 100 pounds, so she put the dog in a garbage bag and then into a suitcase. Wheeled the suitcase out the door, down to the subway and to the station near the vet. Problem was at this station, there were stairs and she couldn’t haul the suitcase up the stairs. But to the rescue came some fellow, who helped her drag the suitcase up the stairs – then knocked her down and took off with the suitcase!

Okay, I don’t know if this story is true, but Jackie says this really did happen to her friend. Personally, I really hope it’s true; I’d have paid money to see the reaction on the guy’s face when he opened the suitcase.

I also hope the story's true.