tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295073524539313742024-03-18T17:01:36.015-04:00Darwinfish 2bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.comBlogger1359125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-17683501180541025522024-03-18T17:01:00.000-04:002024-03-18T17:01:04.983-04:00How to Win the November Elections<p>I was talking with a business colleague the other day,
about how I prefer a smaller cell phone size, so it fits in my pocket easier,
without fear of bending or breaking it. I said it helps to have deeper pockets though,
but because they’re <i>men’s</i> pants, they
do, tacitly acknowledging the longstanding beef so many women have with
clothing manufacturers, regarding a significant lack of pockets in apparel for
women.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Then I said, “<i>What
will it take to get more pockets into women’s clothes, an act of Congress?<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I was joking, of course, but later I was thinking,
what if there WAS some kind of legislation directing pocket equality between
the sexes? And the more I thought about it, the more I became convinced it
could be the key to winning in November. Here’s how I see that going:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">First, we get some Democratic Congress-people to create
the Pocket Equality for Women, or “PEW” Act, into which they write a mandate to
include at least two pockets in every woman’s top, vest, skirt, and pants.
Pockets need to be real and not merely for decoration, deep enough
to be useful… at minimum, the length of an average woman’s hand. I bet Nancy Pelosi would be down with it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Naturally, the PEW Act will set off alarms within the
purse lobby. Big Purse will be like, “<i>Good
God, man! If women can carry their cash, license, credit cards, and cell phones
in pockets, we’ll never sell another clutch. We have to kill this thing in its
sleep!</i>”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">With that, the lobbying from CoachPAC grows fierce on
Capitol Hill, as they lean on the Congress-people they’ve bought… I mean, “Those
to whom they’ve donated campaign funds, trips, and sample bags.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They’ll find some willing listeners, I’m sure. But the
problem, like with everything else that’s been lobbied out of existence, they
can’t come out and say they’ve been bought off. They’ll need to find some other
angle that they can tout in public, to use to kill the bill. Now why would anyone be
against pockets? This stymies them for a few days. But then, the Alabama
delegation has a breakthrough:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>People can <b>smuggle</b> things in pockets…
contraceptives, frozen embryos, very small fetuses… We must protect against
Real Live Human Baby trafficking!</i>”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Huzzah! They now have a platform from which they can kill
the PEW Act. With all the MAGA talking heads hitting Fox "News" and the Right-Wing Media
circuit, they revive their old “Selling Baby Parts” accusations to include
transporting. Now, no matter what the Senate does, the bill will die in the House,
with Speaker Johnson vowing never to bring it to the floor for a vote. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Hopes are dashed in the short term, but the Democrats
seize the chance to bring the case to The People. At every campaign stop, the
candidates charge up the crowd:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b>Pol:</b> What do
you want?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>Crowd:</b> POCKETS!</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b>Pol:</b> Where do
you want’em?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>Crowd:</b> EVERYWHERE!
[<i>Breaking out the finger guns</i>] PEW
PEW PEW!</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97btDfHTYozzv6CB9EKgdXrtU9FRJBxwgrMerloCdmdO0vdGC2aORynI4kQJpehyhf0Nl1Xq7obXKFAh1n38KlvkvKbljqE6ghwmv78xom3EkQN8Hwe8i2oTuHeLhL9XqT3Dc0FvwlWys_6Eac-tebmivod1eovHtZqmMv1UmTcjQCuOvgQAa7S7oogWa/s684/1297%20Crowd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="684" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97btDfHTYozzv6CB9EKgdXrtU9FRJBxwgrMerloCdmdO0vdGC2aORynI4kQJpehyhf0Nl1Xq7obXKFAh1n38KlvkvKbljqE6ghwmv78xom3EkQN8Hwe8i2oTuHeLhL9XqT3Dc0FvwlWys_6Eac-tebmivod1eovHtZqmMv1UmTcjQCuOvgQAa7S7oogWa/w640-h426/1297%20Crowd.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO... YOU JUST HAVE TO PASS THE PEW!"</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">At campaign stops, debates, and in political ads, Democrats
tout the PEW Act and demand Pocket Equality. President Biden assures the nation
that he will never "pocket veto" the PEW Act. The nation’s women, envisioning a
life in which they never have to worry about leaving their purses behind, or
getting them stolen by someone coming up from behind them, turn out to elect
Democrats up and down the ticket. And there is rejoicing across the land.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So, do the women actually get pockets? Eh, probably not. Maybe.
Conflicts in working out the specifics and arguing about what constitutes a
blouse versus a shirt cause delay after delay to the implementation date and
keep kicking the can down the road. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But, with the right to be fully enfranchised human
beings restored, as opposed to the current state of being treated as private
property/incubators, the momentum carries over into other issues. The new
Democratic House, along with the expanded Senate majority and the Presidency, pass bills reconstituting the protections from Roe and Griswald, creating a national
guarantee of reproductive rights and healthcare. They also pass a new law
requiring that dry cleaning charges for women’s clothing be no higher than the
cost for men’s. And for good measure, they add some more Supreme Court members
so that the current six religious and Big Business shills are outnumbered and
kept from interfering with the will of The People. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Yes, it’s all there for the taking, right in our back
pocket, if you will.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b>Director’s DVD Commentary:</b>
I apologize if you came here all amped up about a new campaign strategy, and
instead, you encountered my absurdist tendencies run amok. But take heart; I’m still
confident that a full-throated push for reproductive rights will be a winner,
come November. We just have to lay out the facts and turn out in greater
numbers than the Religious Wingnuts.</span></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-54296828725665539142024-03-11T17:06:00.001-04:002024-03-13T11:03:34.611-04:00SOTU vs STFU<p><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> <b>SOTU</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I enjoyed President Biden’s State of the Union address
last week. It was good to see him get all fired up again. Content aside, he
should have put to rest any doubts about his stamina and vitality. He sure didn’t
look like a doddering, senile old man, as he’s painted to be by the
Right-Wing Echo Chamber and even some mainstream media. And he certainly didn’t
look like he needed a mental acuity test, like some of the corrupt opposition
suggest.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwIZLGjAqSGER8e8yAvoKvVZ0keS0egmvR2uHYgUy2ABMqRX_9Qq8P5WmQ617QAaqGh2m15ULalXZOBkVeKLHaJyq7eYHnSXyVhovMEwtbSxBYo_AESUa_xm-VL9pLAp79j2BgA5fPufKJ0fh3rIkYI7hq1tUjq1yp6_vyTI_4FqK-MtSntWMaeN19GQz/s860/1296%20FRFK.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="860" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwIZLGjAqSGER8e8yAvoKvVZ0keS0egmvR2uHYgUy2ABMqRX_9Qq8P5WmQ617QAaqGh2m15ULalXZOBkVeKLHaJyq7eYHnSXyVhovMEwtbSxBYo_AESUa_xm-VL9pLAp79j2BgA5fPufKJ0fh3rIkYI7hq1tUjq1yp6_vyTI_4FqK-MtSntWMaeN19GQz/w640-h122/1296%20FRFK.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Of course, Republicans can’t admit that so now they say
he was hopped up on goofballs and pick-em-up pills. Jesus. They might as well
put “<i>Heads I win, Tails you lose</i>,”
right there on their bumper stickers. It may as well be their motto. Whatever a
Dem does is not good enough and even when it is, they invent another reason why
it’s not. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Plus, given the newly revealed, hyper-pharmaceutical
culture of the previous administration, it’s probably just more deflection and projection
of their own issues.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">To all the yayhoos drawing ominous conclusions about his
occasional stutters or stumbles, I’d like to see YOU try to read from a script
for 69 minutes straight, on national television, with the occasional dipshit
yelling at you from the peanut gallery. It’s not easy to do for the heartiest
of people. These “critics” are like the armchair quarterbacks who think they
could lead the team down the field at crunch time, but in reality, would lose
containment just stepping onto a field in front of 65,000 people. Try it
sometime, before throwing stones, Gomer. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Content considered, I thought there was a lot to like. I
don’t know how he’s going to actually <i>do</i>
most of the things he said he’s going to do, but that’s a problem for another
term, one in which I’m sure he hopes can work with a Democratic Congress. Otherwise,
he’ll be looking at Four More Years of doing little of substance. In which
case, sometimes just keeping the wheels on is the best you can hope for.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: red;">STFU</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I also caught the MTG sideshow, wherein she apparently
thought she was on a reconstituted version of You Bet Your Life, where her task
was to make President Biden say the magic words “Laken Riley,” and then when he
did, it was like she was waiting for the giant duck to come down out of the
rafters. Yes, he said the name (of a woman who was killed by an undocumented
alien, one of the microscopically few, statistically, who have killed someone
in this country). You know the deal… tens of thousands a year killed by domestically
bred Americans and they don’t give it a second thought. But <i>this</i> is the outrage. We can add THAT to
the Republican Platform, right after More Tax Cuts for the Rich… the Right to
be Murdered by an American! Accept nothing less!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So did MTG win something for her Big Get? Were they playing
GOP BINGO back there? I don’t get the big deal. Once again, we have a Republican
acting like the dog who finally caught the car she’s been chasing and yapping
at and has no idea what to do next. I’m sure that she’s just had a whole pile
of free time open up now that she can’t go on Fox and yell about how “Biden won’t
say the name.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I have no clue how a vacant pea-brained self-promoter
like her gets elected to national office. What happened, did they airdrop lead
paint all over her district 30 years ago? Not that they would stoop to using
someone’s pain and tragedy to score political points, like some common
Democrat, would they?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I didn’t bother to stay up and watch the GOP response,
but I understand it was a trip. “The Stepford Fundamentalist,” if you would. So
the speech was full of fabrications, misrepresentations, and stories that happened
a long, long time ago, in a place far, far away.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So Sen. Britt has been taking her lumps about that, and
as well she should. However, let’s not put the blame solely on her and her doll’s
eyes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Do you think there’s any chance the Powers That Be would
let some first freshman senator write and present their party’s nationally televised
rebuttal to the President, all by herself? I <i>know</i> she didn’t sit there in her perfect kitchen, which probably
hasn’t seen a white person wash a dish in it since it was built, and scratch
out that speech in a spiral notebook? Or even on a Chromebook? Not without the
supervision of the party bosses, she didn’t. In fact, I’d bet they had a whole
team working on that thing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They KNEW it was essentially fact-free. They KNEW their
big story took place in another decade, with an entirely different cast of
characters running things. And they put it in there anyway, because they don’t
care if a story is true, as long as it<i>
works</i>. I’m sure they were counting on the audience for that speech, the
MAGA faithful, to embrace whatever fairy tale they spin out. And they will because they’ve been conditioned to filter out any sources of contradictory
information and believe only what their own people tell them. Fox “News” has
them well-trained and obedient. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">An Irrelevant
Thought</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I love it when Sweetpea buys her margarita mix in 8-oz
cans…</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjv2bv_uSC4GXlXW4jvGxlarM9Akm_lkktPDPbAb5qPtM7zKXLfCuStuX0S2RQobWbe__ttJEDqgbR8z1p__zTuLwJMVJMRZURwS98q_erAYEQzgepMaopbnh0Aw9xt6d-Oab1K1Sgieb7LYy6ymUKmub1VAp39T7TmT-QPpcMYwm5SQW9jrG8i3qDnB7Z/s528/1296%20Andre%20hands.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="435" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjv2bv_uSC4GXlXW4jvGxlarM9Akm_lkktPDPbAb5qPtM7zKXLfCuStuX0S2RQobWbe__ttJEDqgbR8z1p__zTuLwJMVJMRZURwS98q_erAYEQzgepMaopbnh0Aw9xt6d-Oab1K1Sgieb7LYy6ymUKmub1VAp39T7TmT-QPpcMYwm5SQW9jrG8i3qDnB7Z/w330-h400/1296%20Andre%20hands.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">…I get to walk around and pretend I’m Andre the Giant.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-42285838676929563892024-03-04T17:00:00.000-05:002024-03-04T17:00:24.801-05:00Next Stop, the Warring 20s<p>There can be no doubt that Republicans are coming for
women’s rights to reproductive self-determination. All signs are pointing in
the same direction: to the 1920s.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">We already know about Dobbs overturning Roe v Wade, which
sent the abortion issue back to the states. We know that the Red States
immediately began to see who could produce the most draconian laws to punish
those who dared to make a choice with which The State did not agree. We’ve got
total bans, 15-month bans, 6-month bans, travel bans, and lawsuits encouraged
in which there is no recourse from having to pay for counsel, regardless of
merit.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But that’s not good enough. Now the MAGA Bible-thumpers
running the Republican Party are seeking a federal regulation that a legal
human life begins at conception, now that the backward Alabama Supreme Court
has so ruled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">While it doesn’t say so specifically, that put an end to
In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) in the state because there were no provisions for the disposal of extra fertilized cell clumps. Storing them in perpetuity was also a
no-go.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Banning IVF was not the goal. The real idea was getting
human life defined as the moment of fertilization because THAT’s how they’re going
to start attacking contraception. IUDs? Gone. Day-After pill? Gone. Birth
control pill? Gone.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Why the birth control pill? If I remember from my old
health classes, taking The Pill prevents ovulation, so there is no egg to
fertilize. BUT, it also thins the lining of the uterus so there is less chance
of implantation (same as an IUD). The implantation of the fertilized egg is
when medical science considers a pregnancy to be happening. But, now with the
new legal definition of “life” beginning at the moment a little swimmer pierces
the outer rim of an ovum, any interference with the implementation becomes
murder.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s clear that all of these moral and philosophical
hurdles are not meant to “save babies.” Republicans don’t give a shit about
babies. This is about controlling women to promote patriarchy, just like we had
in the Old Days.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Most Repubs won’t admit that now, but don’t follow their
words, <a href="https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a40679326/republicans-contraception-abortion-sex-control/" title="GOP votes against contraception">just watch their actions</a>. Like in
2022, after the Dobbs decision, there was a bill in play to codify the right to
contraception. 194 Republicans voted against it<i>. <o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJdn7KDiXqUqRUUEeer8IUYVkmwM8E6Og5xgHBw09wnNl5TApYJQP3V61UZp0MU7vwrTtD8p4-FR3zsm7E7M_pldlHQETflaadALvNEcMzfkwoQkkTxrAnF0DCn77XaTxi2EMll0yCQh_u-mC5EvKx2wcz44WGqVLenm5ozqGe5FVfY9SQTX8Rewc_4PN/s640/1295%20Vote%20Count.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJdn7KDiXqUqRUUEeer8IUYVkmwM8E6Og5xgHBw09wnNl5TApYJQP3V61UZp0MU7vwrTtD8p4-FR3zsm7E7M_pldlHQETflaadALvNEcMzfkwoQkkTxrAnF0DCn77XaTxi2EMll0yCQh_u-mC5EvKx2wcz44WGqVLenm5ozqGe5FVfY9SQTX8Rewc_4PN/s16000/1295%20Vote%20Count.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><i>Voted against
contraception</i>, in this day and age. Sure, they’ll tell you that it was
because they thought it was unnecessary, or they were protecting the rights of
pharmacy workers to withhold treatment from you due to their own beliefs. It
was amazing they could spew such nonsense after Roe had just been done in, with
one justice openly stating that he wanted to go after Griswold next (which
enshrined the right to privacy decision that ensures access to contraception). It’s
funny how they talk out of one side of their mouth about how something “isn’t
necessary,” while from the other side, back actions that make it VERY
necessary.<p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The bill never saw any action in the Senate. But the next
year, a nearly identical bill passed the House again, by almost the same
margin. (All Dems and a smattering of Republicans who were retiring.) The bill
was eventually squashed by Senate Republicans before it could be brought to a
vote.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">At this point, you can’t be fooled by any single,
seemingly “reasonable” Republican. They have become a monolithic entity… you’re
either with them or against them. Any digression from the expected dogma and
they stick you straight into the “against them” pile. And right now, regardless
of what they say, their actions are coming to ban abortion and several kinds of
contraception. And no Sex Ed, either. They don’t even want kids to know the
correct terminology for their own anatomy. All they have to offer are
platitudes about the “sanctity of life,” even as they watch hundreds of
thousands fall into poverty, despair, and even death, for lack of family planning
and reproductive health options.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This isn’t about you obeying your own sense of morality,
it’s about obeying <i>theirs</i>. They don’t
give a shit what you think about when life begins.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This campaign against reproductive freedom and for the
subjugation of women is the only reason one needs to vote straight Democratic
in November. It’s that important. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFlakQ4OVcQK-GXdiX-4UMtKp70pL-ZymyOjVFTCa4bIteN-MrQ3IKP5ypuZiOClwr_qw-CgQuhrcMTkcKHvqtaceZ29weGDNn40ce_h15-j_1jTkxO45e8t5DCr7-MUs8Dt2VIBDh4QmGk3a1hN28NWfaMd2n9V944FaKo0LK6p3PJwJWr-2RfxgB-ob/s597/1295%20Freedom%20From%20Religion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="597" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFlakQ4OVcQK-GXdiX-4UMtKp70pL-ZymyOjVFTCa4bIteN-MrQ3IKP5ypuZiOClwr_qw-CgQuhrcMTkcKHvqtaceZ29weGDNn40ce_h15-j_1jTkxO45e8t5DCr7-MUs8Dt2VIBDh4QmGk3a1hN28NWfaMd2n9V944FaKo0LK6p3PJwJWr-2RfxgB-ob/w400-h369/1295%20Freedom%20From%20Religion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-90482739784215838052024-02-26T18:19:00.003-05:002024-02-26T18:19:38.144-05:00News Wheel of Fortune<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Let’s spin the old News Wheel and see what to talk about
today.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;"><b>ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZINGGGGGGG tika tika tika tika tika tika tika tika tik:</b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7pexAk4DDxmoYrnrCR74cu-QklrmV15NjUnM0ctAupDnJHuOtZRDYZPfv4WXmeH7-LIxB3kInNHF0J_F5QjDpYBEG0-UrZ37Gtl0SwicFOvD_v8Lx0Sg5oZFCwZgoPOXDuxHNbhwjrWmhkMVtWgF1U6u0zFgjmc_C2EEU2ZtmLCO-6FNAhwfUoCMyz5_/s857/1294%20Trump%20RNc.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="857" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7pexAk4DDxmoYrnrCR74cu-QklrmV15NjUnM0ctAupDnJHuOtZRDYZPfv4WXmeH7-LIxB3kInNHF0J_F5QjDpYBEG0-UrZ37Gtl0SwicFOvD_v8Lx0Sg5oZFCwZgoPOXDuxHNbhwjrWmhkMVtWgF1U6u0zFgjmc_C2EEU2ZtmLCO-6FNAhwfUoCMyz5_/w640-h121/1294%20Trump%20RNc.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />I’m sure there are a lot of finance rules with which Lara
Trump is unfamiliar.<p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It appears that the TFG’s takeover of the Republican Party
is officially complete, what with the installation of his own lackeys at the
Republican National Committee, namely his daughter-in-law. So now, all money
raised by the party’s premier fundraising arm will now go exclusively to TFG,
whether it’s air time, internet ads, or millions in legal fees and penalties.
Down-ticket races are now on their own.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Basically, the RNC will become the Sucker’s Lounge,
funded exclusively by the MAGA faithful, while the traditional, filthy rich, fat-cat
branch of the party will wield their own PACs to fund Senators, Representatives,
and Governors who will do their bidding. It takes a special kind of individual
to pass laws cutting pollution standards and rewrite regulations so that banks
can screw their clients more effectively. Without massive funding for slick ad
campaigns, people might not think electing politicians to do those things is a
good idea. Then where would those poor fat-cats be, having to take a small downturn
in their obscene profits? Yachts don’t grow on trees, you know.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Let’s take another spin.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;"><b>ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZINGGGGGGG tika tika tika tika tika tika tika tika tik:</b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UgfvvBcl0v1JkEjFWpdhNmtEcr54etC-6kTxYzOUPbCDGbRewuTZbnOZj4hnMJa0rz0IHh16NYi3uGLc6HYCjn0W6o_fDfPyviBMXrfQxA7rNI0XT03W3-03XCC8MrnaUhkORggipHy5TPOBUs6rQJRUKRX5Aid6Bi6JSaanIEb8BYawMWLESUuNvJsb/s864/1294%20GOP%20IVF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="864" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UgfvvBcl0v1JkEjFWpdhNmtEcr54etC-6kTxYzOUPbCDGbRewuTZbnOZj4hnMJa0rz0IHh16NYi3uGLc6HYCjn0W6o_fDfPyviBMXrfQxA7rNI0XT03W3-03XCC8MrnaUhkORggipHy5TPOBUs6rQJRUKRX5Aid6Bi6JSaanIEb8BYawMWLESUuNvJsb/w640-h126/1294%20GOP%20IVF.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Much like the proverbial dog who finally caught a car he
was chasing, Republicans don’t quite know what to do with themselves now that the
“True Believers” they put into power declared that a clump of cells is legally
a person. At least in Alabama, anyway. I presume they wanted the clumps to feel
at home, intelligence-wise, and Alabama fit the bill.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">While the GOP politicians are trying feverishly to avoid
saying anything concrete about this turn of events, I disagree with Sen.
Duckworth that they won’t back such a bill with actual votes. They’ve been
hollering so long about how life begins at conception, they can’t really back
down now. They don’t know what to do now that they’ve got what they’ve been
asking for. But they know that IVF is a popular and essential medical procedure,
used by tens of thousands of people, including their own constituents. Much
like abortion and the southern border, they’d much rather run a fearmongering campaign
on the conceptual issues rather than deal with actual details and the inevitable fallout.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Issues like this bring into sharp relief how important this election is as well as every following one. Our democracy is just a swing
state or two away from being destroyed by religious zealots who only care about
their own narrow brand of morality, and wielding it like a scythe over anyone
who disagrees.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">What else do we have here?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;"><b>ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZINGGGGGGG tika tika tika tika tika tika tika tika tik:</b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSja3DO3pKe4q-lQABV-WgsDGTCDwqE80TAvhCK7Kl0WQKsHqX9VF5otlY-qdCXDUJhkJR-Vqo8iRzcsjRNmGxEIiKhV72_A5w2j_VNO6EL1jdavgoANnaNjP3GQIxs30mEGVCuClfNGWYneduyAzLj0vvktl6mted0_njBUWPAINqUn51qjDxSQiVXAB8/s675/1294%20Impeachment%20Headlines.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="675" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSja3DO3pKe4q-lQABV-WgsDGTCDwqE80TAvhCK7Kl0WQKsHqX9VF5otlY-qdCXDUJhkJR-Vqo8iRzcsjRNmGxEIiKhV72_A5w2j_VNO6EL1jdavgoANnaNjP3GQIxs30mEGVCuClfNGWYneduyAzLj0vvktl6mted0_njBUWPAINqUn51qjDxSQiVXAB8/w640-h372/1294%20Impeachment%20Headlines.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Looks like the Biden Impeachment is DOA, what with the
arrest and total discrediting of their top witness, Alexander Smirnov. It seems
he was selling a complete fabrication, supplied to him by Russian Intelligence.
Is anyone actually surprised here? Except Gym Jones, who always seems to look
that way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is the inevitable outcome when a group starts with a
conclusion and then tries to backfill the reasoning. It’s the opposite of the
scientific process. Or in other words, a true witch hunt. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Unlike what TFG so often proclaims, it’s not a witch hunt
when there’s overwhelming proof of criminal activity, like what’s happened every
time he’s been investigated. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I want to make another point here but let me take a short
detour to this editorial cartoon I found in the Baltimore Sun last week.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">As I’ve mentioned before, The Sun is under new ownership, of the founder of the conservative media empire Sinclair Broadcasting.
Immediately upon the takeover, I noticed a distinct shift in focus of the
editorial cartoons. Most were pure conservative talking points, but others “appear”
to find a middle ground, but if you scratch the surface, they reveal an
insidious “both-sider-ism.” Like with this cartoon:<o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGWrW0kNmbIPaJL6GsJduLLDn4WdST6QINAuiDbR-cgM3XuHMa3bdlQk4z2EUBxUmVJ5901jX0PunTjtWwRHQyjhOmGlRlos8VWTRjwZ3T_QNSDEu058o8-YdIkiWHFdS2Zsu7S4o3NOAiFn5EoHovr_NwevIzQvxUyexFXSv8E4Rv6NB-KvVNJX3xt2k/s757/1294%20Impeachment%20Overload.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="757" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGWrW0kNmbIPaJL6GsJduLLDn4WdST6QINAuiDbR-cgM3XuHMa3bdlQk4z2EUBxUmVJ5901jX0PunTjtWwRHQyjhOmGlRlos8VWTRjwZ3T_QNSDEu058o8-YdIkiWHFdS2Zsu7S4o3NOAiFn5EoHovr_NwevIzQvxUyexFXSv8E4Rv6NB-KvVNJX3xt2k/w640-h454/1294%20Impeachment%20Overload.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>At first glance, I thought “<i>Hell yeah. What a waste of Congressional resources</i>.” But then I
noticed there were <i>five</i> broken
emergency cases, one for each impeachment since the 90s. The problem is that
not all impeachments are the same, not by a long shot.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Clinton. This was a fishing trip engineered by
Newt Gingrich, who went looking for a financial scam but was left with nothing
but a clandestine blowjob. The entire affair was a hit job, meant to keep the
president occupied with defending himself rather than doing what he was elected
to do. Yes, the president lied to the grand jury, but he never should have been
put there in the first place. The matter had zero to do with governing and everything
to do with vendetta politics.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Trump's first impeachment, which laid out proof
that he tried to extort Ukraine by withholding funds and arms unless they
pretended they were investigating Joe Biden. There are documents, witnesses,
recordings, or in other words, overwhelming proof.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Trump's second impeachment, regarding his actions
leading up to and on January 6<sup>th</sup>. The proof of his involvement and
support of a government overthrow left zero doubts of his guilt. As with the
previous impeachment, only the cowardice and ambition of the Republican
Senators kept him from being convicted.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Secretary of Homeland Security. Impeached because
of policy differences in an area where the Secretary has wide latitude.
It's a complete sham that started with the conclusion and sought to backfill from
there.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Biden. Another sham, an impeachment pushed
merely because <i>their</i> guy was
impeached. Tit for tat politics. The only problem is they have no case. Every “witness”
they produce ends up discredited or arrested. They desperately want Biden to be
guilty of <i>something</i>, they just can’t
seem to find anything he actually did wrong. They want to be able to say, “<i>Hey, HE was impeached too</i>,” thereby
taking TFG’s double whammy off the board. But all they can conjure up is a
mirage.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So, in a subtle maneuver, the cartoonist is insinuating
that <i>all</i> the prior impeachment proceedings
were a waste of time, rather than just the three that didn’t turn up any legal
wrongdoing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But don’t get me wrong, there have still been a couple of
good cartoons. Let me end with this one, which I thought was pretty good:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ksfSfwvO8o3VRSqKQBIB6D2E8vBOwhyphenhyphenAvhmSuL2x4byIdqUfKkqUsJBs1svv6wVB0b71m_yN6dis8isuzqSCZ1FyMAo5Y9s5ukUTzpQIwvClNnOT_RjKEWtJUOvUi50W6puJ8Jhr14eq3a9o_mFs2kE3nkPoH-t9eHEgw2GZ3YAT2GWdV9jlDmdiwyrQ/s790/1294%20Rankings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="790" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ksfSfwvO8o3VRSqKQBIB6D2E8vBOwhyphenhyphenAvhmSuL2x4byIdqUfKkqUsJBs1svv6wVB0b71m_yN6dis8isuzqSCZ1FyMAo5Y9s5ukUTzpQIwvClNnOT_RjKEWtJUOvUi50W6puJ8Jhr14eq3a9o_mFs2kE3nkPoH-t9eHEgw2GZ3YAT2GWdV9jlDmdiwyrQ/w640-h440/1294%20Rankings.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Personally, I think Obama should have been on there, or
maybe Roberto Clemente. But why quibble? There’s only so much room. And now I want to go play frisbee.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-27963428549970873042024-02-19T17:26:00.011-05:002024-02-20T07:55:11.518-05:00The Art of Moving the Cheese<p>Last week, Congressional Republicans showed their butts
to the country as they refused to take up the border bill they asked for, which
contained just about everything they wanted. Their Orange Idol decreed that it
would be better to leave to next year the “crisis” they all decry as an
existential threat to the nation, so he could spend the year fear-mongering on
the issue. Well done, guys. How very noble of you.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Democrats gave them things I’m sure they never expected,
which blew up one of their talking points, the long-lasting mischaracterization
that Dems want an “open border.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They made it clear that they have no intention of solving
a problem when they can use it to gather and maintain power for themselves. It’s
like moving the goalposts has become a plank in the Republican platform, you
know, if they’d ever bother to create one (besides “<i>Do whatever TFG says. And own the Libs</i>.”)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Moving the goalposts is so ingrained in them now, that it must
have made the negotiations on the border bill an ordeal worthy of Sisyphus. I
can just imagine how it went: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: We want a
border fence that’s 25 feet high.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: OK.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: I mean, we want a fence that’s 50 feet high, made
out of Vibranium. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: We’re good on the 50, but isn’t Vibranium the stuff
Captain America’s shield is made of in the Marvel comics?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: You have a problem with Captain America? Now we want
the wall 75 feet tall.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: OK, we can live with the 75-foot Vibranium wall.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: We want it eleventy feet tall and made of eels.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: [looking dejectedly at each other] Sure, OK. Now
what about the river?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: We want it filled with alligators.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: OK.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: I mean, crocodiles. We want it filled with
crocodiles.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: But crocodiles aren’t native to North America,
alligators are found in…</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: We want crocodiles… electrified crocodiles with
suits made from razor wire.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: But…</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: Loch Ness
Monsters. We want 4 dozen Loch Ness Monsters patrolling the river.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: OK, whatevs… You source them, we’ll put’em in the
river. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: And the river has to be acid, like from Alien blood.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: Wouldn’t Alien blood acid kill the Loch Ness
Monsters?</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: [<i>Huddles to discuss</i>] The acid goes
in a second river, like a moat. We want an acid moat. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMS: OK, we agree, if you guys quality test it first.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: Um, won’t we get burned?</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">DEMs: Take a Tums antacid first, you’ll be fine.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">GOP: Deal! Suckers…</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sometimes I have a disturbing imagination.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">And Now This:</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Just a quick callback to <a href="https://darwinfish2.blogspot.com/2024/01/when-up-is-down-and-down-is-up.html" title="Darwinfish2: When Up is Down">last week’s post</a> about GOP moderate Larry
Hogan running for the upcoming Senate seat from Maryland…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjla52tMZ-_n1uYVwhTNb2oMypSOZkUSftuEAVl0kxavuGJJw-WxugnB-Zw2F9UJfo-94lAAHbzChFee4qfxY6gx5NnvxrnD-fVf6dQvrYOIzFyi6cJmKABBKuA1qRsECNxJ-TlBcRsinuT76iYzYIaoK7XxHp29qvaejo-kjySozU8FxL6nN05wgQXU2FD/s652/1293%20Hogan%20Abortion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="547" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjla52tMZ-_n1uYVwhTNb2oMypSOZkUSftuEAVl0kxavuGJJw-WxugnB-Zw2F9UJfo-94lAAHbzChFee4qfxY6gx5NnvxrnD-fVf6dQvrYOIzFyi6cJmKABBKuA1qRsECNxJ-TlBcRsinuT76iYzYIaoK7XxHp29qvaejo-kjySozU8FxL6nN05wgQXU2FD/w536-h640/1293%20Hogan%20Abortion.jpg" width="536" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Someone needs to let Hogan know that his party’s attempts
to govern the uteri of American women ensure that codifying such rights is
completely necessary. It doesn’t matter if he is personally reasonable on the
issue, if he votes with the rest of the wingnuts, and we have no reason to
think he won’t, reproductive rights will disappear all the same. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-12036938393162877992024-02-12T17:39:00.000-05:002024-02-12T17:39:39.098-05:00Crunch Time for a Blue State<p>As if we need more bad news on the political front, we
have a new local development that will have national implications. Former
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has decided to run for the Senate seat being
vacated by Ben Cardin. Normally a Republican declaring for a Maryland Senate
seat would be greeted by yawns, but Hogan was a rare bird that won two terms as
a Red governor in a very Blue state.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">He was able to do that because he wasn’t a Bible-thumper
or religious wingnut, nor did he support TFG. (He also ran against a couple
of thoroughly uninspiring opponents.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">He was one of the rare Republican governors who took
COVID seriously and actively promoted vaccinations, masks, and social
distancing. Consequently, Maryland weathered the “Rona storm pretty well, with
more than 95% of its population getting at least one COVID shot.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">However, he was still a traditional Republican at heart,
which was demonstrated by how fast he shot down a major public transportation project
to create an east/west-running light rail. (Baltimore’s only other light rail
line runs north/south.) There were tens of millions in federal funding already
in hand, secured by the previous administration, but he left that money on the
table to build and widen roads instead, mostly in the Washington suburban
areas. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">He seems to be burying his Republican past, eschewing
party funding in lieu of raising his own money. He wants to run an “independent”
campaign, which is fine, but we voters have to keep in mind that he will still
be caucusing with the rest of the Republicans and will count as one of them
when it’s time to see who wins control of the Senate. That’ll be a big deal
when it comes time to get things done. Any bill that’s beneficial to the
average American will be strangled in its sleep by a Republican-controlled
Senate. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Democrats already have to defend a handful of seats in
Red states; now they have to worry about what should have been a reliably Blue
seat. I wish he’d just leave politics and open up a sandwich shop. He could
call it “Hogan’s Heroes.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I hope his opponents have the smarts and strategy to take
him on and make him wear that “R” around his neck, whether he likes it or not.
It doesn’t matter if he rides the middle if it swings power to the wingnuts.
And speaking of:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwci4qw9x6w7wjAQqiu29fgvRGZ8UnpnBA8knfhYL1vVxNFtH6jbMim_JcuoIxJ8c778q56PfTKCJ2aw8r4vLHacA3KjDEN_NDCH0AF3pW5B6QFkbNBIfynU3GXKfDG7NXj23COE9HkG7FjtoPD5iAef1NaKKsLV_K6kHb4n2SbPrF43LTbsRRJ77fUdr3/s869/1292a%20JD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="869" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwci4qw9x6w7wjAQqiu29fgvRGZ8UnpnBA8knfhYL1vVxNFtH6jbMim_JcuoIxJ8c778q56PfTKCJ2aw8r4vLHacA3KjDEN_NDCH0AF3pW5B6QFkbNBIfynU3GXKfDG7NXj23COE9HkG7FjtoPD5iAef1NaKKsLV_K6kHb4n2SbPrF43LTbsRRJ77fUdr3/w640-h128/1292a%20JD.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is what I’m talking about. Here’s a sitting Senator
explaining how he would have supported the Trump Insurrection if he had the
chance, and insisted on accepting fraudulent ballots. Sure, it’s a lot of Monday
morning quarterback woulda-coulda-shoulda, meant to bolster his MAGA cred. But
it tells you what this guy will do at crunch time if he’s called to support
either the Constitution or the Wingnut Brigade. If he has to wipe his feet on
his oath of office to placate a bunch of idiots who think it’s a fix whenever
they lose at something, from law parts to lawn darts, it shall be done.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Now this was my favorite story from the recent past:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoI9SoAzucpgHLFdexV9mx34Kl03IiLlY5suiabmCyND1-NFtKWRGZhvAso3O_NWgf1MVdYpk6It1wtL-hIJBE62VVCCGjt-cbH5_JzeUCEuolw4zw5UoMowZ5OX1BAH_vrU07Bjx8TRovMvQHp64L6TKNi9zu8bCOQ0inadFcrvHdK2c4_jzCy0a1YXl/s861/1292b%20I%20Swear.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="861" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoI9SoAzucpgHLFdexV9mx34Kl03IiLlY5suiabmCyND1-NFtKWRGZhvAso3O_NWgf1MVdYpk6It1wtL-hIJBE62VVCCGjt-cbH5_JzeUCEuolw4zw5UoMowZ5OX1BAH_vrU07Bjx8TRovMvQHp64L6TKNi9zu8bCOQ0inadFcrvHdK2c4_jzCy0a1YXl/w640-h118/1292b%20I%20Swear.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Excuse me, I have to go find some pearl to clutch. Will
marbles do? I can’t believe Hannity was even covering this shit, let alone
hyping it like it was Hunter Biden’s laptop. Have they ever heard their Dear
Leader before? He swears so much, that you can’t even rule out Tourette’s.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And we KNOW Dark Brandon likes to drop the occasional
F-bomb at important times. Remember how the ACA was a “big fuckin’ deal?” And
it was, so Joe labeled it as such. I loved that when it happened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The Right-Wing media ought to make up its mind. Is Biden
a senile old fool who doesn’t remember who he is, or is he an evil mastermind
who takes years to ratfuck his enemies, create byzantine conspiracies, fix NFL
games, and offer dating guidance for young pop singers? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">President Biden may be losing a step or two, and maybe a
younger pol should step in. But that’s not going to happen in this world, so we’re
reduced to a choice between two starkly different options. (And any third-party
options are nothing but indirect ways to influence the choice between the main
two.) I will always take a sometimes forgetful but well-meaning, true family
values person who supports the working class over a sadistic, narcissistic, petulant,
spoiled, ignorant, fucktard bent on installing himself as king and spreading
the wealth to his rich “friends.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Also, remember that Presidents have staffs that keep
things running. Should Biden falter, I trust his staff to keep the train on the
tracks so much more than the toadies and yes-men that will populate TFG’s
prospective administration. He appointed
adults in the room last time and hated being told “no.” That won’t happen
again. Now it will be all kiss-asses, all the time. And speaking of the biggest
kiss-ass:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSpgf2AHWSi5sg1OxfeUU6B0Dj8pmizO2313IFFYNuUuh3y9CbBn5LWgWrVDaZ_2R4oCAzaoIVAO4ypkNNkUqMa6Mqm_1QJUMBQB8gTM0QshcR1IilNLHnUawTRYBiz6MaCxxHhp9y51aRYoRqsGMXlZyYaMCti16S5TUyFtL0QyGloQFWZTtLJ2rxhe-/s867/1292c%20MTG%20Traitor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="867" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSpgf2AHWSi5sg1OxfeUU6B0Dj8pmizO2313IFFYNuUuh3y9CbBn5LWgWrVDaZ_2R4oCAzaoIVAO4ypkNNkUqMa6Mqm_1QJUMBQB8gTM0QshcR1IilNLHnUawTRYBiz6MaCxxHhp9y51aRYoRqsGMXlZyYaMCti16S5TUyFtL0QyGloQFWZTtLJ2rxhe-/w640-h126/1292c%20MTG%20Traitor.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Yes, the border bill that contained everything
Republicans wanted, negotiated in good faith by both parties and got shot down
so that instead of solving (or even addressing) a problem (that Republicans
claim to be cataclysmic), they have something to use in a campaign instead. And
now, Margie Three-Toes thinks it’s traitorous NOT to go along.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">She, of course, should know from being “traitorous,”
given her public participation in the January 6<sup>th</sup> Insurrection and
Hootenanny, after which she sought a presidential pardon. If she had been
incapable of identifying traitorous behavior, she wouldn’t have felt such a need.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Aside from wanting to use the southern border as a
fear-mongering campaign issue, what Republicans really want is an end to
immigration, period. No asylum, no work programs, no brown people coming over
the border for any reason. That’s the real goal here. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Consider this editorial cartoon from the Newly
Republicanized Baltimore Sun:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_-M_orlLMKQM-NfL8dr3ckz6E1fVn-FEKEWrx0rhhtkMfV6_Cl8XLhlT_sENUti6-BtwtwEQcZ9vi-sZcbqBWRYbKp2q1WHRHC7pRCiZeA7GWwkM-wY9V37MXRFbhrxdJWI2bUM3eVAvRvItVvU5HD_h-5lNJS46aBAvf4GMG70ssYME1APnnJ-P8FbP/s639/1292d%20GOP%20Immigration%20plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="639" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_-M_orlLMKQM-NfL8dr3ckz6E1fVn-FEKEWrx0rhhtkMfV6_Cl8XLhlT_sENUti6-BtwtwEQcZ9vi-sZcbqBWRYbKp2q1WHRHC7pRCiZeA7GWwkM-wY9V37MXRFbhrxdJWI2bUM3eVAvRvItVvU5HD_h-5lNJS46aBAvf4GMG70ssYME1APnnJ-P8FbP/s16000/1292d%20GOP%20Immigration%20plan.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">To make this accurate, turn the funnel upside-down. Then
put a cork in it. That’s the Republican immigration plan.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-219726852931327712024-02-05T17:01:00.000-05:002024-02-05T17:01:09.960-05:00If Not Medium, Then an Extra-Large<p>As you may have noticed, if you’ve been reading me long or have ever noticed the name of this blog, I’m mainly reliant on science and measurable data to guide my views on life.</p><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But that’s not </span><i>totally</i><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> the case. I’ve had some pretty weird shit happen to me that keeps the door open a crack, to all kinds of mystical hoo-doo. Let me just tell you the story…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Have you ever had “dream flashes?” Maybe you call it déjà vu, but I know them as dream flashes. They are those little snippets of life that hit you all of a sudden and you know you’ve dreamed them before.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I used to get them maybe 2-3 times a year (now, maybe once every other year) and they’re usually when I’m doing something completely inconsequential, like sitting on the couch watching a game and eating a ham sandwich. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Then, </span><i>POW!</i><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> For a second or two, up to maybe five, I know I’ve seen this view before. For a few seconds, everything is exactly as I’ve seen it; from where I’m sitting, to where I’m looking, to the taste of the sandwich, to the announcer’s call on TV, and even what I’m </span><i>thinking</i><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">. I always try to go with it and see how far I can stretch it. Then real life takes over quickly and on I go as usual.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As superpowers go, it’s not exactly awe-inspiring. I’ve had zero luck in predicting which things I’ve dreamed about will come to be. And believe me, there are a few that would make me </span><i>very</i><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> happy to see come to pass… But so far, Tina Fey still won’t return my calls.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-weight: bold;">Déjà Bluz</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">OK, so I was in 9</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> grade back in the 70s. We were living in Columbus, OH, and had just learned that we would be moving upstate to Toledo at the end of the school year. Again, I would be leaving my friends and starting all over again in a new school.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PrMTqBqF7SA/S-WLdH2UqTI/AAAAAAAABrM/xsOmio4MhlA/s1600/172+MnMs.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PrMTqBqF7SA/S-WLdH2UqTI/AAAAAAAABrM/xsOmio4MhlA/s320/172+MnMs.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One night, that spring, I dreamed I was at my new school. I was in some weird class that started with “P” and everyone was sitting at these black tables. There were none of the usual school desks, to which I was accustomed. And a girl was passing out M&Ms to everyone in the class.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I woke up thinking, “</span><i>WTF?</i><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">When I went downstairs to breakfast, I told my mom about the dream. Neither of us knew what to make of it, and that was that. I never gave it another thought.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Half a year later, while firmly entrenched in my new school and new life, I was in </span><a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/physiology" title="In other words, a glorified anatomy class. We learned about all the body's systems and dissected cats for lab work."><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Physiology</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> class. Mary, another student, was having a birthday and for the occasion, she brought in a bag of M&Ms that she began to pass out to the class.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Next thing you know, </span><i>POW! </i><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Full-barrel dream flash. Everything was exactly how it was in my dream. From my perspective in the room to the black lab tables, to the exact same girl in the same place with the M&Ms, it was just like I’d seen it. The scene played out for maybe 5 seconds while I sat there with my mouth hanging open.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I realized at the time that this was all quite impossible. When I’d had the dream, I’d never been to Toledo, let alone to that school. I’d never heard of Physiology. I’d never seen black lab tables like that. OK, I’d seen M&Ms before, but that was it. There was no way I could have been able to “see” everything I’d just seen.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Except that I did.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After class, I staggered up to tell the teacher what had just happened. I don’t really remember her reaction other than maybe a slight bemusement. She probably just marked down in her little class book that she should keep an eye on this one, who was obviously a troublemaker and not much of a scientist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Through the next few years, I did a little research on the phenomenon but was never able to find anything that adequately explained how these dream flashes happen. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">What I took out of the whole thing is that one can never say what is or isn’t possible. If I can take a peek into the future, who’s to say if someone else can see spirits, or predict what’s going to happen next? That doesn’t mean I buy into every crackpot that says they have powers… there are too many con men running around trying to separate people from their cash in exchange for mystical services rendered. A healthy skepticism is necessary to get along these days.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But right before I dismiss some whack-a-loon that claims to be able to “see”, I’m forced to think, “</span><i>what if?</i><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sometimes, “seeing” is believing. And I saw for myself that there are things in this world that cannot be explained.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b>Director's DVD Commentary:</b> I wanted to take a break from politics. so this is a reworking of a post I did 14 years ago. And I still don't know what it all means.</span></div>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-40833738174875309732024-01-29T17:26:00.001-05:002024-01-29T17:31:16.206-05:00When Up is Down and Down is Up<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The MAGAs are still out there pretending that the economy
is Biden’s Achilles’ Heel. I harvested this meme from the weekend:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkzbHOmIih-syvD_DtVPY_NSXG9R026A046yKGZqHeJKmtvJ2Nr-mhGaBayv2XD23nEqa5tk6smlFvZam5bcDnEUrRFMs_xJkPzuRBhPx-WvH8yUp_VM25odsmnAFV3Ry-heSfVo9-yQwgJay-zitMt2q5vBX9YFC_XCilFpKJ3-iox0yFTLskC6xeU1r/s432/1291%20Election%20Day.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="432" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkzbHOmIih-syvD_DtVPY_NSXG9R026A046yKGZqHeJKmtvJ2Nr-mhGaBayv2XD23nEqa5tk6smlFvZam5bcDnEUrRFMs_xJkPzuRBhPx-WvH8yUp_VM25odsmnAFV3Ry-heSfVo9-yQwgJay-zitMt2q5vBX9YFC_XCilFpKJ3-iox0yFTLskC6xeU1r/w400-h384/1291%20Election%20Day.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">I saw a similar one, which I unfortunately neglected to
capture, that wanted everyone to go grocery shopping and fill up the tank
before they go to vote. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">That one had to be old… I agree with it 100%. I think by
November, unless Republicans do something to tank the economy in the name of
maintaining another avenue for campaign attack ads, the economy will be just
fine. Gas prices are always a question mark because so many things can send
them shooting up. Production issues, transport issues, war, terrorism, and just
plain greed can spike gas prices. And as it’s often said, gas prices go up like
a rocket and come back down like a feather.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I think Democrats need to do a better job at highlighting
how the prior inflation rise was primarily due to corporate price gouging
rather than the after-effects of the federal COVID stimulus. We need some charts circulating that show how when the inflation was at its peak, so were corporate
profits. If the cost of supplies was really the culprit in high prices, profits
wouldn’t have been smashing records.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Granted, such presentations are likely to put those who most need to hear them to sleep.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It continues to rankle how Republicans keep trying to
compare current gas prices to when COVID had cratered them. All it took for gas
to fall under $2.00 was a mishandled pandemic that made people stay home, dried
up demand for gas, and caused the deaths of over a million Americans. Although
I’m sure they’d take the deal in a second if the dead were solely made up of
brown people, gays, and non-Christians.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">All the metrics are looking good right now. Wages are up,
joblessness is down, and inflation is as low as it was before the pandemic. Polls
say people feel they are personally doing well, but still think the overall
economy is a disaster. This is 100% the media’s doing, especially the Right
Wing Echo Chamber, which pushes the bad news regardless of actual statistics to
the contrary. When a Democrat is in power, it’s all bad news, all the time. And
mainstream media doesn’t broadcast economic successes nearly as forcefully as
they do the preceding failures.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In other news, Republicans could not look worse on The
Border than they do right now, what with the Senate taking orders from TFG to
tank a bipartisan bill to address the southern border so that he (and the rest
of the party) can run on the immigration chaos for this year’s elections. They
refuse to take any action that might look like a “win” for President Biden.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHrkhScFintMfgy9Ux1PCzKbwgXNHk3jc9pAz4VIuGzAQf1XWj_hFD7BA7kwS0QCw_wW_xLUQJmoQl0e2t-fS_pv9xFGB9hQHotKF1dAfES0br52n54Z37mcGcRVxfAHdLRrb6FF03Y701i1zWv2aDCE1UnST0GRMHGyojWORHLEWfU1iX9Ry0M-PgXCH/s448/1291%20Border.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHrkhScFintMfgy9Ux1PCzKbwgXNHk3jc9pAz4VIuGzAQf1XWj_hFD7BA7kwS0QCw_wW_xLUQJmoQl0e2t-fS_pv9xFGB9hQHotKF1dAfES0br52n54Z37mcGcRVxfAHdLRrb6FF03Y701i1zWv2aDCE1UnST0GRMHGyojWORHLEWfU1iX9Ry0M-PgXCH/w400-h400/1291%20Border.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Last I’ve seen, they’re pretending that this bill is so
terrible, even though their teammates were in on its creation. But in actuality,
it’s like I’ve been saying about abortion, election security, and other issues:
Republicans don’t really want to address the problem if they can campaign on
it. They prevent solutions so they can stoke fear over Democrats’ inaction.
That’s page one in the GOP playbook. Democrats need to highlight this practice
at every opportunity.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Lastly, congratulations to E. Jean Carroll, for becoming
filthy rich at the expense of TFG. Although I wouldn’t make any big plans, just
yet, for how to spend all that dough. It will be a long time before she sees a
dime if TFG can do anything about it. I’m sure he’ll pull every delaying
tactic available to get avoid paying out, from endless appeals to limited
bankruptcy. And when it eventually does come time to pay, I have no doubt he’ll
try to draw the money from other people via “loans” he never pays back, or fundraising
from his sheep. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">E. Jean should also avoid going up in any tall buildings,
lest she become another victim of faulty Russian staircase design, wherein
that first step is a real killer.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-44242944156363510422024-01-22T17:00:00.000-05:002024-01-22T17:00:30.815-05:00The Setting Sun<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I don’t know how big of a national splash this made last
week but they announced that David Smith, the owner of the Sinclair broadcasting
group, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/baltimore-sun-purchased-sinclair-david-022100460.html" title="Baltimore Sun ruined by rich right-winger">bought my local paper, the
Baltimore Sun</a>, as a personal investment.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W0lFWVc6l60Gu9wmCToQT025Gp1MIM2zb9YZkPHGYNKtzorLAGHMimtbKg8ljkhtPz64RAZohmHYIwuoZGiP492VuS1KXaaFhktEodtfxoXTjO6j2thQTruAUCaguEGW1AIsxkxiFTChx1sUVZ8mH37PGStjTI9dc0loAfXMnN2uV5TbYNci2W7_VJtj/s854/1290%20Balt%20Sun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="854" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W0lFWVc6l60Gu9wmCToQT025Gp1MIM2zb9YZkPHGYNKtzorLAGHMimtbKg8ljkhtPz64RAZohmHYIwuoZGiP492VuS1KXaaFhktEodtfxoXTjO6j2thQTruAUCaguEGW1AIsxkxiFTChx1sUVZ8mH37PGStjTI9dc0loAfXMnN2uV5TbYNci2W7_VJtj/w640-h126/1290%20Balt%20Sun.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sinclair is an ownership group that buys up all the local
stations it can muster and turns them into right-wing MAGAphones, including the
mandate that they all run pre-recorded editorial content from the “home office.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Maryland is a blue state and the Sun has traditionally
reflected that, although not so much so that they didn’t endorse a Republican governor
or two, over the years. But this has effectively come to an end.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The new owner says he wants The Sun to function like our
local “Fox 45,” which is also owned by Sinclair. In other words, one more piece
in the right-wing echo chamber. Sinclair owns Fox 45 in Baltimore, as well as
the local CW channel. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Both networks specialize in attacking the local government
and school systems. They love to ambush public officials on their way to their
car at night, to lob loaded questions while the camera rolls. Every night, when
I’m usually watching syndicated shows, I see the promos for their news
broadcasts, and it’s always the same. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">They proclaim how they’re “keeping local officials
honest,” but that’s just a cover. It’s an unrelenting drumbeat of bad news, day
in and day out.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s one thing to cover news that makes officials look
bad. But it becomes disingenuous when positive stories are omitted or skewed to
make them look bad. I’ve had this argument with people before when they say, “<i>But what if this news is true? What if this
really is a bad thing?”</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">I counter that there’s never a “good thing” aired, even
when good things abound. Lies of omission are still lies. When a broadcaster’s
only objective is to smear the ruling party, that’s not journalism, it’s just
PR and propaganda. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">A couple years back, I decided to take some notes on the
subjects of the local Fox and CW nightly news promos, which I did for about a
week or so before I lost interest. (I was hoping to make a post out of it, but
you know… <i>squirrel!)</i> I still have the
notes though, so, <i>Score!</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">These were the stories they were hyping at the time:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->CW: High price of gas.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Fox: Violence in Baltimore City, State’s
Attorney ethics charges.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Fox: Save Our Schools: Lawsuits filed against
the school district.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->CW: Crisis at the Border, Baby Formula crisis
haunts the Biden Administration.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Fox: Electric vehicle fires<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->CW: The danger of letting the WHO determine what
is a pandemic.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->CW: While government fights record inflation, migrants
are flooding in. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">As you can see, it’s just a compendium of Republican
talking points, blaming Democrats for inflation, bad schools, the pandemic, corruption,
and electric cars. It’s All Crisis, All the Time while propping up the fossil
fuel industry, private schooling, and catering to the MAGAs at every turn.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is what will become of our deep-rooted bastion of
journalism, a paper version of Fox “News.” I’m sure we’ll never see another big
half-page story on a <i>decrease</i> in
border crossings, like the one I ran in my last post. Such good news will never
be set in ink again if it benefits a Democrat.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">What I’m going to do next, I don’t know yet. I’ve been a
Baltimore Sun subscriber ever since I came to town in 1998. I’ve always been a
newspaper guy, a habit I got from my dad, who always had the paper delivered,
wherever we lived. Sometimes we even got two, like when we lived in Columbus
Ohio, and got the morning Citizen Journal and the evening Columbus Dispatch.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">In practical terms, I get most of my news online, via the
blogs on my blogroll and my Yahoo home page. The Sun staff is a mere shell of
what it used to be. Most of their content comes from news syndicates and
affiliates. Aside from TV listings, my primary use for the Sun is the comics
page and puzzles. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Doing crossword puzzles (and the Jumble and Sudoku) are
baked into my weekday lunchtime routine. On the weekends, Sweetpea and I both work
on the morning puzzles. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">I know I can get crosswords online, but I don’t like
doing them via computer, nor do I want to have to print the puzzles every
damned day. But I feel sick at the prospect of giving those vultures any of my
hard-earned dough.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">For the time being, I intend to stay put and watch what
happens. After all, this could be a good feeder system for Right Wing material
to pick apart, or maybe even to rebut via letters to the editor. It’s not a bad
idea to see what kind of BS the other side is pushing. It’ll let me know
whether they have serious points, or if they’re pushing myths and illusions. Then
when they eventually cross the line, I can, with haughty indignity, write in, refute
their stories, and end it with “<i>Cancel my
subscription, you odorous band of kowtowing mullet-heads!</i>”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Fun at the Grocery Store</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sometimes, when checking out a new grocery store, the
aisles are arranged in such a way that I can create a little mirth, for those
that know how to find it.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2_gDDEgUz1xHNJrYEmiUkWWcmqX85wxeBtpuXEYj7SBNvJWkD3pFeZjUfamdw6tJ0g_0fTHd2VCpS1xjucHCsMdncMu2uMCGPmpM2Xnug635Ab12JwY_Bf97pj6k8pnCQvUkbFbDFiZivw6OLNDO4X51a05BUBv9PM61VGliwDAQtf8iQdrbK69fK-p7/s716/1290%20Spam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="716" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2_gDDEgUz1xHNJrYEmiUkWWcmqX85wxeBtpuXEYj7SBNvJWkD3pFeZjUfamdw6tJ0g_0fTHd2VCpS1xjucHCsMdncMu2uMCGPmpM2Xnug635Ab12JwY_Bf97pj6k8pnCQvUkbFbDFiZivw6OLNDO4X51a05BUBv9PM61VGliwDAQtf8iQdrbK69fK-p7/w640-h364/1290%20Spam.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Bloody Vikings...</div></span><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-79508085322312416882024-01-15T12:27:00.009-05:002024-01-15T12:27:55.942-05:00It Was a Call to Action<p>People were horrified last week when TFG publicly stated
that he hoped the economy would crash in the next 12 months, meaning he could
then blame President Biden throughout the campaign. For every other politician,
such a cravenly selfish statement would bring them down in flames, but as you
know, this guy is fire-repellant (as well as the usual kind of repellant.) A
statement like his is completely on-brand for him. His fans expect nothing
less.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But don’t look at this as just another self-serving
proclamation. If you have paid attention to his previous speeches, it reads
more like a call to arms. He’s not “hoping,” he’s asking/telling. Just like his
statements about hoping “<i>the Russians are
listening</i>,” “<i>stand back and stand by</i>,”
“<i>will be wild</i>,” and “<i>second amendment solutions</i>,” this was a
dog whistle to the select people who have the access and means to crash the economy.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">He’s asking for business leaders to create more supply
chain problems, for retailers to price-gouge a little more, for layoffs to roll
out, and for his oil friends like the Saudis to cut back on production. He’s
actively creating the crisis for which he’ll blame his opponent. And if that
isn’t “on-brand” for TFG and the Republicans, I don’t know what is.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Just look what they’re doing with the southern border.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGSA-6bCnARsR7AMvmvOiUZosWhJf7E74CrPZaoLh11aEZjpDyJMjNCuWa1_yW-829dvbE5ZKcWoGs8Bx2_NfAgsYd05O9LYryAz6M0X36lwHbcboOi2Q3VpY_ptwGptZeAm_ff6N45vQ8BhfcBOVqxjA9YnTL-cCBxnD4LZvPNla7lzRaqQQyskdTPGL/s749/1289%20Border%20Success.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="749" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGSA-6bCnARsR7AMvmvOiUZosWhJf7E74CrPZaoLh11aEZjpDyJMjNCuWa1_yW-829dvbE5ZKcWoGs8Bx2_NfAgsYd05O9LYryAz6M0X36lwHbcboOi2Q3VpY_ptwGptZeAm_ff6N45vQ8BhfcBOVqxjA9YnTL-cCBxnD4LZvPNla7lzRaqQQyskdTPGL/w640-h494/1289%20Border%20Success.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">From the Baltimore Sun, last Monday.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Not only do they mischaracterize the situation by
inferring that it’s much larger than it really is, but they refuse to even sit down
to create solutions. It’s much more important to them to use it as a campaign
issue than to fix a national problem desperately needing fixing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The Eco-Destruct message also carries to his governmental
partners in crime. He wants nothing more than for the government to be
shut down. Obviously, no matter how it takes place, they’ll blame it on the
Democrats, for not agreeing to every poison pill they can conjure up and put
into play. Fledgling Speaker Johnson apparently didn’t get the message the
first time, given his preliminary deal with Senate Leader Schumer, so this was
a way to amplify the MAGA message: Never agree with a Democrat! Better to bring
down the whole establishment than to cede ground on a single inch.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">No matter what the Democrats do, it’s imperative that
this guy doesn’t assume the reins of the government again. As I’ve said before,
this time there will be no adults in the room to rein in his whack-a-doo
impulses, only aiders and abettors. Did you see the statement from his former Communications
Director about how he actively wanted to have people killed? In particular, regarding
an <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/ex-trump-aide-reveals-scary-093021432.html" title="WH aide reveals scary info about TFG's wanting to kill">aide who leaked negative
information</a> about him?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5qoEGOEltIFqbYUslXmZ3yNjDHT6HbkkH6HRkwFYqXZ3xjd0UYIJ4hGUA6EepmqF4tFoFCYcAixYbF6nNxHMYqe_MoRPflnVQ1TCSyTdljoNft4C1U2mknBLgRTDQPMNy2-YMG1nTlQ_YurVA7G81edXGP6qiXya1eBjKvuzXxHDvNlobOzfV0_xXdHM/s862/1289%20TFG%20Killing%20It.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="862" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5qoEGOEltIFqbYUslXmZ3yNjDHT6HbkkH6HRkwFYqXZ3xjd0UYIJ4hGUA6EepmqF4tFoFCYcAixYbF6nNxHMYqe_MoRPflnVQ1TCSyTdljoNft4C1U2mknBLgRTDQPMNy2-YMG1nTlQ_YurVA7G81edXGP6qiXya1eBjKvuzXxHDvNlobOzfV0_xXdHM/w640-h118/1289%20TFG%20Killing%20It.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />This guy as President, with complete immunity (as he is
currently seeking in court), would be like having <a href="https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Joffrey_Baratheon" title="Who is King Joffrey (for non-Game of Thrones people)">King Joffrey</a>
running the country.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKCVsWvRl-s_nus0nW73NS7f81bM9zI4gWJHWn3UbX-CYxTEQzF2-Vkkzfeg_haR8LTnCGazKMu2kPE57lefKsSqb1sdWTtb_F5XGZnik2_N9GQjgYzZuksjo1eO2ETozP4x2HZVOwUMYDOdl4KHcI0fPomXdr_1HGnBCpX71Qdb-_-LIcDiEzqEiwQjg/s500/1289%20King%20Joffrey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="500" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKCVsWvRl-s_nus0nW73NS7f81bM9zI4gWJHWn3UbX-CYxTEQzF2-Vkkzfeg_haR8LTnCGazKMu2kPE57lefKsSqb1sdWTtb_F5XGZnik2_N9GQjgYzZuksjo1eO2ETozP4x2HZVOwUMYDOdl4KHcI0fPomXdr_1HGnBCpX71Qdb-_-LIcDiEzqEiwQjg/w400-h389/1289%20King%20Joffrey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Picture every wonton whim being carried out by
enthusiastic yes-men and sadists, eager to please the Boy King, the gorier the
better. Once he stacks the Justice Department with his toadies, “justice” will
be for “Just Us,” as in Trump followers only. Anyone who displeases him in any
way, like by opposing an idea, protesting unfair treatment, or merely saying
something negative about him, will be dealt with and will most likely never be
heard from again. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did like his autocratic idols
do and charged the family for the bullet. Or in the case of a Putin-like long
fall from an open window, charge them for sidewalk cleanup.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The Supreme Court may or may not find a way to claim TFG
was/is immune from prosecution. The only sure way to keep the nightmare
scenario from coming to pass is to <i>not
vote him in!</i></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-67781624123174186982024-01-08T17:00:00.001-05:002024-01-08T17:04:44.714-05:00It's Just Not Funny Anymore<p> Just as the national economy is rounding into shape, the
Village Idiot, aka <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-promising-reduce-inflation-plans-213640932.html" title="TFG promises inflation reduction plan that raises inflation">TFG, wants
to come in and “fix” it.</a> Naturally, his “fix” will undo all the progress
made since COVID shut things down, and provide another zillion-dollar care
package for the rich.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rvm3qrP7R5bl9_0D0sQ1L1sC-64kApU7GPCWD3KYYpPmJR9KjPpqtmXrn5cJPtChHhyPMqbu8-FVEpvxzS8zFrG4IJt5s6LXhRJNc1m0EpXssEktjWTL03PvjV9LUxaA45skSFcER12Kj4lpiJ6js4rn7j-rwMV_zovNg-M6LXAgMPg_6d5iuvmi4Gas/s895/1288%20Trump%20Economy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="895" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rvm3qrP7R5bl9_0D0sQ1L1sC-64kApU7GPCWD3KYYpPmJR9KjPpqtmXrn5cJPtChHhyPMqbu8-FVEpvxzS8zFrG4IJt5s6LXhRJNc1m0EpXssEktjWTL03PvjV9LUxaA45skSFcER12Kj4lpiJ6js4rn7j-rwMV_zovNg-M6LXAgMPg_6d5iuvmi4Gas/w640-h190/1288%20Trump%20Economy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Worst of all, he can do much of this on his own, without
Congress, which is like giving a kid the keys to the candy store. He plans to raise tariffs on all foreign goods by 10%, be even more aggressive in deporting undocumented aliens, and roll out another round of tax cuts. This is
so “out there,” even the conservative economists think it’s crazy.”<p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWr2Wb44eS6U3Qu3iOW70ql9j4merYrwIfNeMuzIZwfd055erclp3mQoJ-hEo4RqCTd6-fv3E9DTzTcNP_7lC_VPtoiYUfTwl2kX2qyg_Y_q4KluOYhaSD1tt2AmlEXLZMS5-yKqeO2uBGZ1pb_gjUNxn-wgpSZZbPRYGX59DUmNX0DE0dyA9nEpw26pYV/s641/1288%20Economy%20Quote.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="641" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWr2Wb44eS6U3Qu3iOW70ql9j4merYrwIfNeMuzIZwfd055erclp3mQoJ-hEo4RqCTd6-fv3E9DTzTcNP_7lC_VPtoiYUfTwl2kX2qyg_Y_q4KluOYhaSD1tt2AmlEXLZMS5-yKqeO2uBGZ1pb_gjUNxn-wgpSZZbPRYGX59DUmNX0DE0dyA9nEpw26pYV/w640-h204/1288%20Economy%20Quote.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It all makes sense, through the lens of TFG. He still
thinks raising tariffs on imports sounds good, like he’s sticking it to the
foreigners, where in fact, he’s sticking it to the Americans who buy the goods,
which often aren’t available as domestically produced merchandise. Or maybe he
does know better, and he and his inner circle have a great laugh at his MAGA
fan club who eats this shit up, only to lose a bigger chunk of their family
dollars. They know it will just get blamed on the Democrats anyway.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It also sounds good to his racist band to get tough on
illegal immigrants, even though they are a vital force in keeping prices down.
Those salad fixins’ aren’t going to pick themselves, nor will the hotel beds be
made without the maids. If Republicans really wanted to do something about
illegal immigration, they could go after businesses that hire them. When was
the last time you heard a proposition like that from Republicans? That’s the
last thing they’ll ever do. It’s much more fun for them to round up the brown
people and try to best each other over who can be more cruel.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Republicans don’t want to solve the “border crisis,” they
just want to use it as a campaign issue they can use to scare Middle America
into voting Red. Didn’t they just refuse to vote for a $13 billion border package to add agents on the ground and ramp up processing capability?
That alone tells you they’d rather yell about immigration than address it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Lastly, anyone telling you that cutting taxes on the rich
will eventually help everyone else is lying to your face. It never happens. It’s
been tried throughout the last several decades and not once has it helped
anyone but those who directly received the governmental largesse. I can’t
believe they even try to push that bullshit anymore, but here they are again,
pretending that the Reagan, Bush, and Trump tax cuts didn’t single-handedly
wreck economies of their times. That’s probably another thing they laugh about
over drinks in the Inner Sanctum. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If The Former Guy becomes The Current Guy again, he’s not
going to tolerate a bunch of career politicians foisted on him who will act
like a brake on his deluded agenda, like he did before. This time around, it’s
Yes Men all the way. No more sanity checks before the executive orders are
signed. And if the judiciary finds them unconstitutional, he’ll just find some
new judges. So if we’re stupid enough to elect him again, there will be no
stopping the damage he’s prepared to do, all in the name of feeding his ego and
owning the libs. He’ll be like Fat Rambo, coming to destroy your town, your
state, and your nation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But that won’t matter to the MAGAs; they’ll be in hog
heaven.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLq_gphWAFglshTuMhIUObx5nXg-CdsI1voRYMHIVXAVoV5E9wOIJC5kL-HiBpRbX4Vaf8L2HvyRMUx8iwM5kDkJ51QGB_hhXjQqLie5zS6C-n0t0vX3jr-AsLpq_4-NT1wQends4SoJmOEJxlXpsbZm25cUW4sbNTSkcesTvw1PiYxa3iSfsXT2WbTz5/s1579/1288%20MAGA%20Mating%20Season.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1579" data-original-width="1264" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLq_gphWAFglshTuMhIUObx5nXg-CdsI1voRYMHIVXAVoV5E9wOIJC5kL-HiBpRbX4Vaf8L2HvyRMUx8iwM5kDkJ51QGB_hhXjQqLie5zS6C-n0t0vX3jr-AsLpq_4-NT1wQends4SoJmOEJxlXpsbZm25cUW4sbNTSkcesTvw1PiYxa3iSfsXT2WbTz5/w512-h640/1288%20MAGA%20Mating%20Season.JPG" width="512" /></a></div><br /><p></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-57298922003575996812024-01-01T12:45:00.004-05:002024-01-08T16:35:44.483-05:00Jingle Bells, Donald Smells...<p> This week, I’ve been highly amused by the <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-smells-internet-flooded-with-barrage-of-hilarious-jokes-over-adam-kinzingers-comment-on-former-presidents-odor/ar-AA1lY1F3" title="KInzinger on TFG's Odor">mini-drama that has erupted</a> over the degree
to which TFG smells bad.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger posted on X
on December 16, "<i>I'm genuinely
surprised how people close to Trump haven't talked about the odor. It's truly
something to behold. Wear a mask if you can</i>."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">He went on to add to the description: “<i>The former president has a distinct smell of
armpits, ketchup, a butt, and makeup, that’s been … put into a blender as if it
has been bottled as a cologne. I’ve been amazed that everybody is just kind of
learning about this now</i>.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’ve always assumed that TFG smelled like a mixture of
hairspray and powder. I was sure a guy as reportedly fussy as he is about his
appearance would also take care to manage his aroma. In fact, I’m surprised he
hasn’t slapped a name on and branded it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I don’t know if what Kinzinger is saying is true,
but in today’s world, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that people are
talking about it. It’s getting mentions in the press and there are memes
everywhere.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-S8reabaNlGREJTKRblXnChviz9Dvxv-beClhd6j31ypYe7-qOjk-SsvY1CVQkLchESeO8ydkGeWmcCq3d_Uh0xs6TD-8j6VmezpJjArp58Jti1FUV6yHbVTuREnonqKuEslK8VdRvPQ0eVIjQ41KdwdHR_avh4voJn4BG4bx61CvrufRmKZ7nL6K2hKx/s568/1287%20Putin%20Knew.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="568" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-S8reabaNlGREJTKRblXnChviz9Dvxv-beClhd6j31ypYe7-qOjk-SsvY1CVQkLchESeO8ydkGeWmcCq3d_Uh0xs6TD-8j6VmezpJjArp58Jti1FUV6yHbVTuREnonqKuEslK8VdRvPQ0eVIjQ41KdwdHR_avh4voJn4BG4bx61CvrufRmKZ7nL6K2hKx/w400-h393/1287%20Putin%20Knew.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">TFG had to issue rebuttals to it, which I’m sure takes
valuable time away from planning the destruction of our system of government. You
know it’s already taking up brain capacity in a place where there isn’t much
volume to start with.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The Lincoln Project has <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4376646-lincoln-project-releases-trump-smells-ad/" title="Lincoln Project ad on bad TFG smell">already released an ad</a> on the
topic because they know that this is the kind of thing that gets under his
skin. It’s like that with anything that takes a chunk out of his meticulously
crafted image. They want to distract him and make him look unhinged; maybe
provoke him into making a bigger fool of himself than usual.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m enjoying this because it serves him right. After all
the personal attacks he’s lobbed at opponents, here’s a big one coming back on
him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And it becomes important because smell is something that
gets a visceral reaction. It bypasses reason and goes straight to the central
nervous system. So labeling him as one who smells bad and including some
features that sound believable is a skilled PR move. Whether it changes any
votes remains to be seen. If the Republicans stick to their usual form, they’ll
be coming up with countercharges about how President Biden smells, maybe a combination
of hair tonic, Werthers, and arthritis cream.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So, truth or not, it doesn’t matter. If TFG has proven
anything, it’s that a lie becomes the truth to many people if you repeat it
often enough.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I don’t care if this is actually the first of the year, I’m
treating this as my last post of 2023, and as such, it’s time for a meme dump! This
is where I post all the memes I harvested over the last year and then held for an opportunity for use that never came. Or I forgot.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Politics</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBEzEL4tbdkktr8_5wIoN4cQNbCGLux8qgSgPWW3xEEeHij-GOC-a2ghVD7g-JEvPyT06xsXrmk_pr0B4eCk0QBNaRoajx6EbL-xbsO7kRz4X_uUNSpjbuwFjyAc0wxBNAp3u0O-BmTXcjOjxf-cQZ4zjBZa_7R_m01PKPfC8slYuSI82Wf8PY2zdZ414/s566/1287%20Canadians%20r%20Watching.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="454" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBEzEL4tbdkktr8_5wIoN4cQNbCGLux8qgSgPWW3xEEeHij-GOC-a2ghVD7g-JEvPyT06xsXrmk_pr0B4eCk0QBNaRoajx6EbL-xbsO7kRz4X_uUNSpjbuwFjyAc0wxBNAp3u0O-BmTXcjOjxf-cQZ4zjBZa_7R_m01PKPfC8slYuSI82Wf8PY2zdZ414/w321-h400/1287%20Canadians%20r%20Watching.JPG" width="321" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b> <br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3vKikMLGqox9R0RO0vqKmp8Zw7cdHwjf4xaR_dUZXTyMP_eCKmm_qgW7LxWZoBAHNTs7NfTzpIGj0RVX4UkKFngawy6Sc8hHEA0JdgiUjiVLNOvcsV0mXYLBMhWV5QqdIUJoVqpMNogdU2KLnEYgqAaK50ePZpynOT1UFQv4HRtueNn8qUB-wlGVzD8T/s512/1287%20Dem%20Diversity.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3vKikMLGqox9R0RO0vqKmp8Zw7cdHwjf4xaR_dUZXTyMP_eCKmm_qgW7LxWZoBAHNTs7NfTzpIGj0RVX4UkKFngawy6Sc8hHEA0JdgiUjiVLNOvcsV0mXYLBMhWV5QqdIUJoVqpMNogdU2KLnEYgqAaK50ePZpynOT1UFQv4HRtueNn8qUB-wlGVzD8T/w400-h400/1287%20Dem%20Diversity.JPG" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1ebEbCcVk6KiK2H93ULADBmGsF9x0ccgqkaRU1rFe00y4bJ8BeElaFdjsYobUUC7F5Shc8cbPsQFd8W-4X3ySxt1Y0RYqoP3kTQ7LKVIms6lEQ1ZQ66OKuif4PJHLX_pMTxKf9_Dl6pw0cLKNFzK4CIy1GQ5gQeuD8VCUeUTU14aW32a7eogokfnkWbB/s474/1287%20Fox%20Diversity.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1ebEbCcVk6KiK2H93ULADBmGsF9x0ccgqkaRU1rFe00y4bJ8BeElaFdjsYobUUC7F5Shc8cbPsQFd8W-4X3ySxt1Y0RYqoP3kTQ7LKVIms6lEQ1ZQ66OKuif4PJHLX_pMTxKf9_Dl6pw0cLKNFzK4CIy1GQ5gQeuD8VCUeUTU14aW32a7eogokfnkWbB/s16000/1287%20Fox%20Diversity.JPG" /></a></div></div><br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_j6pQh2nWM7Kv7uqGm4itNNOKva7mHx6HSoGyUdUMx9i_eeUGjUApjwXiGoTcCGfnod9jbc6EC-KZsUp1O5bncL__TUzn7IOcovRrvnPCdN0z38LzxCPgDWt5JFFYB6pJ73uWvqW1hLhwCCKd_2B3mMTglRW-cSukdtoCN94KdHdq6hw3gXA53v6Y03L/s622/1287%20Indictments.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="622" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_j6pQh2nWM7Kv7uqGm4itNNOKva7mHx6HSoGyUdUMx9i_eeUGjUApjwXiGoTcCGfnod9jbc6EC-KZsUp1O5bncL__TUzn7IOcovRrvnPCdN0z38LzxCPgDWt5JFFYB6pJ73uWvqW1hLhwCCKd_2B3mMTglRW-cSukdtoCN94KdHdq6hw3gXA53v6Y03L/w400-h343/1287%20Indictments.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_Do7FgvWvAfQHJit7V8MyRPSdHAQ9zzgu5LpUzGa5YbhyphenhyphenC4AEaA9pupbNGVTZyelseQ0f049XoOEUbEii3sK1YvmyQWC-r7LSU0CSQZE-cxZiWWrFmnKRLZhO4s1h6VauakirsnEBpTi5nsnvzO1Tcuaq4ifLoTUNzrc9XYP6Nhr4gFh1rU4SEoXRuMw/s622/1287%20Immigration.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_Do7FgvWvAfQHJit7V8MyRPSdHAQ9zzgu5LpUzGa5YbhyphenhyphenC4AEaA9pupbNGVTZyelseQ0f049XoOEUbEii3sK1YvmyQWC-r7LSU0CSQZE-cxZiWWrFmnKRLZhO4s1h6VauakirsnEBpTi5nsnvzO1Tcuaq4ifLoTUNzrc9XYP6Nhr4gFh1rU4SEoXRuMw/s622/1287%20Immigration.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_E66Of9ksQjJ0t2CoJHfrZ2fiUq7oKk3rEVyl7HtbCg8QmNIaA6t7ZXwI0o5d_IKCmByTrU0KfeerL4G_rCYgVWKRjCwhz1SOXIQPAxyOEn5Zj0039NnzsE028aCW8R5drQDcI8IGzZhTL5LMKs7DcNmF_A_5oQQakEQblCclTi_RKF82PQZKk0tW5wj/s590/1287%20Biden%20Benefits.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_E66Of9ksQjJ0t2CoJHfrZ2fiUq7oKk3rEVyl7HtbCg8QmNIaA6t7ZXwI0o5d_IKCmByTrU0KfeerL4G_rCYgVWKRjCwhz1SOXIQPAxyOEn5Zj0039NnzsE028aCW8R5drQDcI8IGzZhTL5LMKs7DcNmF_A_5oQQakEQblCclTi_RKF82PQZKk0tW5wj/s16000/1287%20Biden%20Benefits.JPG" /></a></div></div><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gLiIUcPppMYtsVtcMta2UP0KXkVRhe_WyQPGE8twDFhvNO8n_i2CZBwN0cnjof6H0x05g1WZmgymjVequhP8KMVvMiAxwL5oJJN5R2SMRHYwP1rZiJjRxeSfuLhKsPt5MZzp-ZiggRmP7G3CrblhgHu_QofDje0o2g5FK7Ub79tDDhGpNlUMn5pK_u4O/s646/1287%20Rep%20Votes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="562" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gLiIUcPppMYtsVtcMta2UP0KXkVRhe_WyQPGE8twDFhvNO8n_i2CZBwN0cnjof6H0x05g1WZmgymjVequhP8KMVvMiAxwL5oJJN5R2SMRHYwP1rZiJjRxeSfuLhKsPt5MZzp-ZiggRmP7G3CrblhgHu_QofDje0o2g5FK7Ub79tDDhGpNlUMn5pK_u4O/w348-h400/1287%20Rep%20Votes.jpg" width="348" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>This is probably the most important one of all:<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWJ8mZoKk7Vr5bUkKpsb8jy-zhiEbK7qz3q75ccm9pMV8oe9Kh0UK-mLkng_U9UrRlxe84CeiUG78KtKjuJ6160NrhFdvXi8bvgfv-K033AWbtSm9lCjhAuychtpYCvwrfDT02fxBaFBOp_K3etPcEcQhKyPI8BAmbNwF83a9YN27XyYJtLCjbwVzHcaD/s576/1287%20Voting.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="576" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWJ8mZoKk7Vr5bUkKpsb8jy-zhiEbK7qz3q75ccm9pMV8oe9Kh0UK-mLkng_U9UrRlxe84CeiUG78KtKjuJ6160NrhFdvXi8bvgfv-K033AWbtSm9lCjhAuychtpYCvwrfDT02fxBaFBOp_K3etPcEcQhKyPI8BAmbNwF83a9YN27XyYJtLCjbwVzHcaD/w400-h400/1287%20Voting.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Socialism/Capitalism</span><o:p></o:p></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWtX3n7ggZFyW4XuZtRLeaxGY_yn5G1sKrVeC7W1T9Aj42_Gr00hgiIZloFnfiWeZonbYX4CdlvJqTH37svdN4sEApYR1uKluCY9jEydmlW2jvJ0bZl5dR18nYMbzUPZ2_KMkrNVuJj0eJF1WvcrWMOazmUiTLbqmJezO9Z9UM7aMPjJeupDRbmlwyTXF/s592/1287%20HST.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="522" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWtX3n7ggZFyW4XuZtRLeaxGY_yn5G1sKrVeC7W1T9Aj42_Gr00hgiIZloFnfiWeZonbYX4CdlvJqTH37svdN4sEApYR1uKluCY9jEydmlW2jvJ0bZl5dR18nYMbzUPZ2_KMkrNVuJj0eJF1WvcrWMOazmUiTLbqmJezO9Z9UM7aMPjJeupDRbmlwyTXF/w353-h400/1287%20HST.JPG" width="353" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBV2YiQo2Y6eQWqi_GynzWVNn9m65i5WLrYG_aWq2GbJDlq3MJzwRSUKfq_Jss0d_9HNP4rBNvJz4AGyt-g_9m5qvuoGV-LIVCzPDVJjjmOSmpXH3K6x2UKXbBf2nFW1P2b84XD06c79EC0NbVNWOWhbLwy3WuGM6bvQI8DYfQoZzKamqfssVAB1IiZLT/s576/1287%20scary%20socialism.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="576" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBV2YiQo2Y6eQWqi_GynzWVNn9m65i5WLrYG_aWq2GbJDlq3MJzwRSUKfq_Jss0d_9HNP4rBNvJz4AGyt-g_9m5qvuoGV-LIVCzPDVJjjmOSmpXH3K6x2UKXbBf2nFW1P2b84XD06c79EC0NbVNWOWhbLwy3WuGM6bvQI8DYfQoZzKamqfssVAB1IiZLT/w400-h346/1287%20scary%20socialism.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmMyKq6_oNUF_gDixXSC6TmVpb9N_avzKyjO6uWUad2JuXtw1EGqQ56MsIOSiaRASloTWWiCag2WkfTJzzwh4lS9Kf5zW6MeE7r6z_zJs4WNTjd2lZKek_z8pBBEczt0EVXuoScPa39dGQPoTA3GuWiNWECgGaw1wbQjKK90j4g1HwZvUOn2f4sdV2Lut/s560/1287%20Capitalism.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="560" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmMyKq6_oNUF_gDixXSC6TmVpb9N_avzKyjO6uWUad2JuXtw1EGqQ56MsIOSiaRASloTWWiCag2WkfTJzzwh4lS9Kf5zW6MeE7r6z_zJs4WNTjd2lZKek_z8pBBEczt0EVXuoScPa39dGQPoTA3GuWiNWECgGaw1wbQjKK90j4g1HwZvUOn2f4sdV2Lut/w400-h400/1287%20Capitalism.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Religion</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26dLl45bPLxKLnSt-T9UfvcxG8HDPc9EmiQQ3R310HfCrLekti1H91e9ytR3SSmot1XzwPpIukqql4QxBKjcQTbXhiPwUUpBvTSuUuPkEZxwlhU5A3i7jI-dT2aw6X6bJm_76GHY7Tz9HiY-OZ774nErfcbkodlQcqONdV6Jb1-sgFa3qR-A0Jgd6WDJr/s484/1287%20300%20Gods.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="398" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26dLl45bPLxKLnSt-T9UfvcxG8HDPc9EmiQQ3R310HfCrLekti1H91e9ytR3SSmot1XzwPpIukqql4QxBKjcQTbXhiPwUUpBvTSuUuPkEZxwlhU5A3i7jI-dT2aw6X6bJm_76GHY7Tz9HiY-OZ774nErfcbkodlQcqONdV6Jb1-sgFa3qR-A0Jgd6WDJr/w329-h400/1287%20300%20Gods.JPG" width="329" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhw4GxMyizZnmfS6p0ocm7rd65Zf5wx3A0k2b44rQw-SWg_KNbcv18DzLHDKnVI2rjw2EYXfqf2IwAb0V3Ds6WFgu0yOIXnAUdODc6KUf80wMtdErZopN2CWT-QqVC0XiRySGuHV-3tpiiLJWlOasYNmsS9x-eWeS5LSFC2DXhh2IoGn-MjKXGCUqiAyY/s600/1287%20Fishing.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhw4GxMyizZnmfS6p0ocm7rd65Zf5wx3A0k2b44rQw-SWg_KNbcv18DzLHDKnVI2rjw2EYXfqf2IwAb0V3Ds6WFgu0yOIXnAUdODc6KUf80wMtdErZopN2CWT-QqVC0XiRySGuHV-3tpiiLJWlOasYNmsS9x-eWeS5LSFC2DXhh2IoGn-MjKXGCUqiAyY/s16000/1287%20Fishing.JPG" /></a></div></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b> </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0D8udQTf0KOh7xyEHne1yKjjP6hsBrzN0Z3mj2plqIKShPQJbtOl0MeutwzVi4NlS_h0X22Nlf08mDqD0WVZcjbqDtC5de_Iz5R2MByqlvT0A9UexwrN_YoyK-h_wWNUEnwUrhyphenhyphenXjEeRdg9gLpQGnYNiaDe8r-KEmwOqVnd00pNgFdyQwazie87NLEQMv/s720/1287%20T&P.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="720" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0D8udQTf0KOh7xyEHne1yKjjP6hsBrzN0Z3mj2plqIKShPQJbtOl0MeutwzVi4NlS_h0X22Nlf08mDqD0WVZcjbqDtC5de_Iz5R2MByqlvT0A9UexwrN_YoyK-h_wWNUEnwUrhyphenhyphenXjEeRdg9gLpQGnYNiaDe8r-KEmwOqVnd00pNgFdyQwazie87NLEQMv/w640-h418/1287%20T&P.JPG" width="640" /></a></b></div><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyOPoXDB2STw-rdHPylqQkBTVQYSV7aXzy-vUA7Af5QXpEZ8ysVYbsYpMYuwzITzfbo2j6x_nQIJgAF6WWmLe9U7rCOG4oOUhM0zFiYOH1zZhqiua2Wt-A-FuIgMQ9d8Cwl7jCTGNkUWPT8Y21sFtdr_7Lkl-LkzmAXWPGG_FqsvqWLY3XzmgpHVYEQRY/s495/1287%20RW%20Jesus.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="495" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyOPoXDB2STw-rdHPylqQkBTVQYSV7aXzy-vUA7Af5QXpEZ8ysVYbsYpMYuwzITzfbo2j6x_nQIJgAF6WWmLe9U7rCOG4oOUhM0zFiYOH1zZhqiua2Wt-A-FuIgMQ9d8Cwl7jCTGNkUWPT8Y21sFtdr_7Lkl-LkzmAXWPGG_FqsvqWLY3XzmgpHVYEQRY/w400-h388/1287%20RW%20Jesus.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiHzDvsM0v3mc36kSXPyrsGIOYLMfdUhdyQ1C0zw9m7slmKroaL6rBlJ6y3ufUibVnN6SoC3GpyQhrbtmrCTUfSIZZucuwrWKvUv2VnpwPVqrwQEt64t612i3ngjmSSuLv0YZSGSjzuhAixsqOPBmve-GRAtAx3u0m5T3PAHJaM6DiDgvkMBVTuJv_W2Y/s480/1287%20Religion.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiHzDvsM0v3mc36kSXPyrsGIOYLMfdUhdyQ1C0zw9m7slmKroaL6rBlJ6y3ufUibVnN6SoC3GpyQhrbtmrCTUfSIZZucuwrWKvUv2VnpwPVqrwQEt64t612i3ngjmSSuLv0YZSGSjzuhAixsqOPBmve-GRAtAx3u0m5T3PAHJaM6DiDgvkMBVTuJv_W2Y/s16000/1287%20Religion.JPG" /></a></div><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fMB-xBoBlYOc6F1aiQZg_p5xV3lyo7J_0sNZnP1z15LyMGqjunzL0IPFYJ9xxT_YGSlDw6Nt5bWQHDEyFmoWlSHfJXL2wSS08sXVKfZtQuAjHdt29_XsHj72N_d9D0SFraiByoUjvDDbZ1htthQJwM6T2VOLwgDEWkRY9ejnqb74jz0UPyWf4ZsU-lvG/s421/1287%20Pascal.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="421" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fMB-xBoBlYOc6F1aiQZg_p5xV3lyo7J_0sNZnP1z15LyMGqjunzL0IPFYJ9xxT_YGSlDw6Nt5bWQHDEyFmoWlSHfJXL2wSS08sXVKfZtQuAjHdt29_XsHj72N_d9D0SFraiByoUjvDDbZ1htthQJwM6T2VOLwgDEWkRY9ejnqb74jz0UPyWf4ZsU-lvG/w400-h400/1287%20Pascal.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Just for Fun</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuXR5VnJ6WzpGg3N1g2FyzflfKLcO_qvXpEfFPxofpf1GAuOsTqB_LcUvnN5_Up_0ht0mYbmlqOf79woc2kbZkaZxQ_r_MMxSHAsiKBUwctCTlkfvQR_jzOB8YQWuvawmmHauJnT66_tv2gQ30cuymv-AwYs7j93qTgXz3iyhq3xg1gtaR0grYtClH7uZ/s559/1287%20Introvertapalooza.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="486" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuXR5VnJ6WzpGg3N1g2FyzflfKLcO_qvXpEfFPxofpf1GAuOsTqB_LcUvnN5_Up_0ht0mYbmlqOf79woc2kbZkaZxQ_r_MMxSHAsiKBUwctCTlkfvQR_jzOB8YQWuvawmmHauJnT66_tv2gQ30cuymv-AwYs7j93qTgXz3iyhq3xg1gtaR0grYtClH7uZ/w348-h400/1287%20Introvertapalooza.JPG" width="348" /></a></div><o:p> </o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5yBtqPgWJlP1eWSMMtRE8_r6q0wcfuiu3FnLskBRPTV9_B8mzVBCnfapLWViopFpVIK11XT3xSjcMlUiZTSaPeFwHu-Fczi5dTgowIWMYFToGiSC5Fne1nY_x23IRSNr17gTxwQoL7M7vDeu_VMnOERl0Z2oCGLrIYRPyQ4uS8JalpjYvLbqkwsS-LC7/s628/1287%20Taco%20Bell.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5yBtqPgWJlP1eWSMMtRE8_r6q0wcfuiu3FnLskBRPTV9_B8mzVBCnfapLWViopFpVIK11XT3xSjcMlUiZTSaPeFwHu-Fczi5dTgowIWMYFToGiSC5Fne1nY_x23IRSNr17gTxwQoL7M7vDeu_VMnOERl0Z2oCGLrIYRPyQ4uS8JalpjYvLbqkwsS-LC7/s16000/1287%20Taco%20Bell.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBulzSVskNQr8jISwqplFcpee4PrXesuoDwr1w7Nv5zB_fNoh7kfz9jV61KOtvcaHzLN9RZX_I-eaFDMxqL7Til0pBFl1mwC5x3yW-9bXknB6BqEbWGkU3GvTHxGJW5KMCRmVpPCAJ_MZIb_iS-ttiIDkdWjm0_SY4XTrPl1HCfXxa6c4p1MTDCwnWP87/s604/1287%20St%20Anthony%20quits.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBulzSVskNQr8jISwqplFcpee4PrXesuoDwr1w7Nv5zB_fNoh7kfz9jV61KOtvcaHzLN9RZX_I-eaFDMxqL7Til0pBFl1mwC5x3yW-9bXknB6BqEbWGkU3GvTHxGJW5KMCRmVpPCAJ_MZIb_iS-ttiIDkdWjm0_SY4XTrPl1HCfXxa6c4p1MTDCwnWP87/s16000/1287%20St%20Anthony%20quits.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div> </div><div><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Nxm1n0-hOQYecezRtI4EnYbSpypeZSn_2WRMMqUvADuA7sYQE7Z-VFZ8uqJ8MSqAMlWfM1jADWMcBjpBlPT9bnUBkvWLryoy0iUrhyphenhyphenpyPPRrSwCOhT2ytUbbE5MFbfsnHwuo2xMP0dG2D8zN-YwEy2siyIRIove-1pUh-6RMtVm5uZhF3Cos9Xco-LuB/s480/1287%20Emergency.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="480" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Nxm1n0-hOQYecezRtI4EnYbSpypeZSn_2WRMMqUvADuA7sYQE7Z-VFZ8uqJ8MSqAMlWfM1jADWMcBjpBlPT9bnUBkvWLryoy0iUrhyphenhyphenpyPPRrSwCOhT2ytUbbE5MFbfsnHwuo2xMP0dG2D8zN-YwEy2siyIRIove-1pUh-6RMtVm5uZhF3Cos9Xco-LuB/w400-h390/1287%20Emergency.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And on that note, thank you for spending time with me this year. I hope you
continue to visit in 2024 Happy New Year from the House of Bluz.<o:p></o:p></p></div>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-20777255575090179182023-12-24T08:00:00.001-05:002023-12-24T08:00:00.129-05:00Christmas Spirits<p> Happy Christmas everybody. Yes, a heathen like me still
celebrates the holiday, but more out of a fondness for the tradition than any
spiritual reason.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">With that spirit in mind, I’d like to present my favorite
original Christmas carol of all time, along with my favorite rendition of an
old classic. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’ll be back with more political speen-venting and
various nonsense in the new year.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Until then, lets finish 2023 with gusto! Everyone sing along!<o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="363" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6bkwuAzts9o" width="437" youtube-src-id="6bkwuAzts9o"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1p0ptkrc844" width="465" youtube-src-id="1p0ptkrc844"></iframe></div><br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<br />bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-75460448516880250352023-12-18T17:00:00.002-05:002023-12-19T17:21:10.274-05:00Social Insecurity and Other Hangups<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Candidate Nikki Haley is publicly <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/nikki-haley-wants-reform-social-093037917.html" title="Haley to Reform SS">pushing changes to our Social Security</a> program,
out loud. That’s risky and I think it’s necessary. But what she’s proposing and
what people who aren’t bought and paid for by rich donors propose are two different
things.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuONwsIK_fzXKSDvw6MV3t5GtSXpuZzS5Z0KCcv-FejeIuBmWuT9fmaJvlQtqY5Nlkd6DAfQPnrx6LU7ojD0i5stXcemSC-D4XRedL2mcg01w_My3vqc1WojVh1P2jFNUQba53x3I44usArWcx0QV__hMp-xSKxdVgJ3L-MG052UwSFm2BBJi_09pDrZc/s870/1285%20Nikki%202cut%20SS.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="870" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuONwsIK_fzXKSDvw6MV3t5GtSXpuZzS5Z0KCcv-FejeIuBmWuT9fmaJvlQtqY5Nlkd6DAfQPnrx6LU7ojD0i5stXcemSC-D4XRedL2mcg01w_My3vqc1WojVh1P2jFNUQba53x3I44usArWcx0QV__hMp-xSKxdVgJ3L-MG052UwSFm2BBJi_09pDrZc/w640-h121/1285%20Nikki%202cut%20SS.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Haley wants to increase the age at which today’s younger
workers would become eligible for Social Security, and limit the growth of
benefits the wealthy receive.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Raising the so-called retirement age on young people is
just kicking the can down the road, all the while screwing them dry. It’s so
calculated because she knows that young people are the least reliable voters,
so she faces much less blowback than she would if she recommended raising the
retirement age of older Americans, who have retirement in their sights.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">As tough as it is to make a living, it really puts the
squeeze on the young. They can’t afford to buy a house, apartment rent is
through the roof, and now they have to worry about setting more aside for
retirement? Aside from what? I hope “the young” are paying attention because this
is a purely Republican offering.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Her other prong is more aesthetically pleasing but
ineffective. It sure looks like she’s putting the squeeze on the rich but it doesn’t
really amount to much.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">No, these billionaires shouldn’t be drawing their $3500
a month from Social Security. It’s like peeing over Hoover Dam... that little
trickle isn’t going to make much difference. But the problem is that there aren’t
enough billionaires to make these cuts add up to anything.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">According to some snappy research I just did, there are
735 billionaires in the United States this year. Now, this $3500 per month
comes to $42,000 per year. Multiply that times the 735 billionaires and you
come to $308,700 annually. That is NOT going to bail out Social Security. That’s
like dumping a soda can over Hoover Dam.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If you want to make a dent, remove the cap on Social
Security taxes for people making over $160,000 per year. That will fix the
Social Security shortfall. There is no rational reason to have such a cap in
place other than a bunch of rich people telling their Congressmen, “<i>But I don’t wanna pay more for Social
Security!</i>” and then writing giant campaign checks that ensure such a
solution will never see the light of day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If the rich people don’t like paying into a system where
they never get to reclaim it, tough shit. Be glad we don’t close the other tax
loopholes too. Say goodbye to stashing your profits in the Cayman Islands.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Speaking of the economy, remember in the late
twenty-teens when Republicans used to defend the Trump Economy by saying, “<i>But how’s your 401k doing?</i>” As if that
was the only barometer, but OK. So you’d think they’d have to admit that the
Biden Economy is doing equally as well. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But no…</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnq43TE1CdwpwDEAc8xi0mm4PdAnOpUdNXMYfTDNak6G2pxHZCAWPPt8O6S4BgxbKbAW89ETQdMYqj5QhrChmCJlppcjRF47VwRgz4dWibTkIXdDISDFWInQ1kUPNQWzi293HykYubpiY0qS9UF7awgcOinV2J3CS6-ilQxZn-x2KJdtys09dbGWNAiYz/s921/1285%20TFG%20Stock%20Mkt.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="921" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnq43TE1CdwpwDEAc8xi0mm4PdAnOpUdNXMYfTDNak6G2pxHZCAWPPt8O6S4BgxbKbAW89ETQdMYqj5QhrChmCJlppcjRF47VwRgz4dWibTkIXdDISDFWInQ1kUPNQWzi293HykYubpiY0qS9UF7awgcOinV2J3CS6-ilQxZn-x2KJdtys09dbGWNAiYz/w640-h120/1285%20TFG%20Stock%20Mkt.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Once again, a prediction that the Very Stable Genius made
went down in flames. He famously said the market would dive into a depression
if he were not reelected. Contrast that with the news that the Dow just hit an
all-time high.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Suddenly, TFG says the stock market <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-bemoans-record-stock-market-014448274.html" title="TFG bemoans record-setting stock market">“is only for making rich people
richer.”</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I don’t know why I even hope for fair play. Republicans
will never admit they’re wrong and easily abandon a principle they espouse the
second it becomes beneficial to do so, and espouse the opposite principle. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s comical that he goes on to blame the current high prices
on President Biden, knowing that corporate price gouging is the reason for it.
Inflation is coming down and corporate profits are way up. That’s only possible
when their prices are being set higher than the sum of supply chain costs and
their earlier profit margin. They’re raking in the dough due to their own greed
and blaming their political enemy for it before laughing all the way to the
bank. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The thing is, what is it that this president, or any
president, is supposed to do about the way companies set their pricing? It’s
not like raising or lowering taxes or tariffs would work because the
merchandisers are not pricing for costs, but for how much profit they want. Any
solution to price gouging would be guaranteed to elicit howls of protest from the Right: Socialism, Price-ism, and No Fair-ism. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrzsftenWq8B42RBgtv-vNCplMyiW07qwCVAnakAC-BXUY_ppuc-qI41o3hKT4UmSMy2P7qc-1DXXabJGYgH9EWtx4VbCE-5cZl3Eg_XRj_uX-aulep8raDMsRazGT_rOA19Q0x9EQusyKjwIXrNfz_1ms6T8uyULe0vPQdsUBu9gVH0Zhb7A61-GaDud/s581/1285%20Disaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="581" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrzsftenWq8B42RBgtv-vNCplMyiW07qwCVAnakAC-BXUY_ppuc-qI41o3hKT4UmSMy2P7qc-1DXXabJGYgH9EWtx4VbCE-5cZl3Eg_XRj_uX-aulep8raDMsRazGT_rOA19Q0x9EQusyKjwIXrNfz_1ms6T8uyULe0vPQdsUBu9gVH0Zhb7A61-GaDud/w640-h470/1285%20Disaster.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Have you also seen TFG’s new tactic when confronted with
video of him saying or doing something that looks bad? He calls it Fake Video,
just like he used to do with “Fake News.” What started out as a term for
troll-farm disinformation, TFG turned it into a label for him to slap on any
news item that he didn’t like or made him look bad.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Now, with AI becoming all the rage in video
falsification, it has provided a new defense mechanism. So when someone
counters his charges that President Biden is old and feeble-minded with video
clips of TFG muttering, mumbling, mispronouncing basic words, and fidgeting
around like a toddler, he calls it a fake video. It’s a given that the MAGAs
will believe him. At this point, he could collapse on stage right in front of
them amidst a pile of gibbering monosyllables and rubbing poo in his hair, and
they’d just claim it was someone from Antifa in a Mission Impossible mask. Or
Hunter Biden.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I like that Jack Smith has taken TFG’s main delaying
tactic straight to the Supreme Court. TFG is charging that a President has
broad immunity, so much so that anything he does during his term in office is
legal by default. (In other words, the Nixon Defense.) So rather than having
that fight court level by court level, where even though he could be confident in
winning, the clock would be running out, the prosecutor asked for a judgment
from the Supreme Court right now (as opposed to when it would inevitably end up
there in the months to come.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">At this point, the issue gets tricky. We know there are 5
or 6 Justices in the bag for TFG. Maybe one, Roberts, might worry about
becoming a national joke, should they rule for the defendant. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Compound that with the fact that the sitting president is
a Democrat. I think it calls for an appearance from Dark Brandon, to step out
and say, “<i>So whatever the President does is
legal. Where should I begin?</i>”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It should go without saying that such a finding would be disastrous
for the nation. We’ve already seen what can happen when someone with neither
morals nor scruples holds the office. With such a ruling, nothing could stop him from looting the treasury and national assets for
trillions in assets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So I don’t think the Supremes will make such a broad
finding. I do think they’ll find some kind of technicality that will allow them
to cover TFG with a narrow scope, without making it a precedent. They have a
whole team of legal beagles over there. All they need is a sliver of
Constitutional support, theoretical or not, upon which to build this legal
house of cards. It’s not like they won’t ignore other more solid and
traditional tenets that would suggest ruling the other way. They’ve done it
before and will no doubt do it again. They’ve already shown that they treat “precedent”
the way a baby treats its diaper.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-15201839840350121642023-12-11T19:38:00.002-05:002023-12-11T19:38:46.703-05:00An Old Rocker Looks at Taylor Swift<p>You can blame it on Facebook… It’s all because of that “Reels”
feature. I sometimes totally go down the rabbit hole looking at those short 1-2
minute videos, one after another, like they’re potato chips. And the thing is,
once you watch a video on a particular subject, they show you more of the same.
One day, I watched a short clip about Taylor Swift, for no other reason but because that’s one fine-looking woman. Big blue eyes, perfect lips, hair like spun
honey, tall and fit, what’s not to like?</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9vr37rDvC6_AaOkcqSKgWnMzKs-sXwfwrfdwhMh_9jvWVUUkGE_qXi8bm8MB5rhFNB5ls9l6Dwjftt9c_YGylvN6OLZtoQRjP808TpU_13SaEXN_I40qM-uFvM2oZuZ6ed7hVXWGwCNC5Vl7tH0v8gpIejlEnYOWFWmx0_dsNbtD9IrVAwhNgyUWyv0W/s534/1284%20T%20Swift.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="534" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9vr37rDvC6_AaOkcqSKgWnMzKs-sXwfwrfdwhMh_9jvWVUUkGE_qXi8bm8MB5rhFNB5ls9l6Dwjftt9c_YGylvN6OLZtoQRjP808TpU_13SaEXN_I40qM-uFvM2oZuZ6ed7hVXWGwCNC5Vl7tH0v8gpIejlEnYOWFWmx0_dsNbtD9IrVAwhNgyUWyv0W/w400-h399/1284%20T%20Swift.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>She uses that trick Tina Turner used to do by wearing a
skirt slit up to her hip bones so it made her short legs seem long, and Taylor’s
long legs seem miles long. Soon, I’m sure the dictionaries will show you her
picture when you look up the word “leggy.”<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So, the next thing I knew, I was getting an unending stream
of perfectly Taylored material, plus snippets from her new boyfriend and his
brother’s podcast (which is hilarious, by the way.) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">One of the byproducts of getting rabbit-holed like this,
especially at night, is that I end up dreaming about the subject matter. (It
happens with TV shows I binge-watch, as well.) So last night, I woke up at about
1:30 AM, after having a dream where I was concerned with the state of Taylor
Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship. And in that weird state in between sleep
and consciousness, I began considering all I’d learned about Ms. Swift and
putting together some blog points in my head. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So now, after sacrificing 90 minutes’ worth of sleep to
the subject last night, I feel obligated to purge the old mental files, so
maybe I can catch some quality Z’s tonight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I am an old rock and roller. I like dinosaur rock like AC/DC,
the Scorpions, ZZ Top, with a big helping of the blues. I am NOT Taylor Swift’s
target audience. I’ve heard some of her songs and they’re just not for me. I do
admire her talent in that she plays guitar and piano and writes her own songs,
which are all things I wish I could do. But no, I don’t do pop music. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But yet, I find myself becoming a fan of her as an
individual. I’m amazed by how she’s conducted her life and career. She’s
currently performing in one of the biggest and most profitable world tours
ever, a real production number. And then, releasing a movie of the tour?
Brilliant! Why not? They already have cameras filming everything for the video
screens in the venues. In fact, I think every band touring should do the same,
for the folks in markets they didn’t visit or couldn’t take
out a second mortgage for the tickets. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">And what a trouper... have you seen pictures or footage of her performing her shows in a complete downpour? She just carried on. That's what made a fan out of noted Crusty Old Guy (and New England Patriots' head coach) Bill Belichick. He was at one such show with his daughter and commended her for her professionalism, in not letting a stadium full of people down, in miserable weather.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwPmmtH_hwuTGH_PteDHOWMoFbGWi4n5trbhk-gdu3lDOXjqjp6ifwAFCxM-Z0ooXhUYbC9I5bWlz6EhSWjk2eeqEMsD_6OZ-9_nwdiv3snuHjjXzkGyY_hUzeI9w8W_tpr__8tZSiAPVSOM8QjiTTCkeGi4DGeO0pGbr-L5wuYJ5y1vI8CW3675uE3gW/s568/1824%20Rainy%20Swift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwPmmtH_hwuTGH_PteDHOWMoFbGWi4n5trbhk-gdu3lDOXjqjp6ifwAFCxM-Z0ooXhUYbC9I5bWlz6EhSWjk2eeqEMsD_6OZ-9_nwdiv3snuHjjXzkGyY_hUzeI9w8W_tpr__8tZSiAPVSOM8QjiTTCkeGi4DGeO0pGbr-L5wuYJ5y1vI8CW3675uE3gW/s16000/1824%20Rainy%20Swift.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing">She’s won just about every music and video award there
is, not to mention Time’s “Person of the Year.”</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I saw an interview with her on 60 Minutes, ages ago, she
must have been in her late teens or early 20s, and I was impressed, even then,
with her business literacy and savvy. She clearly knew what she was doing and
didn’t let anyone tell her differently. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And now, I’m especially impressed with how she delivered
a double-decker Eff-You sandwich to the douche-nozzle who bought up her first
record label, including her original masters. By rerecording the songs, releasing them herself, and encouraging her fans to only download and stream the
new versions, she essentially turned the guy’s several hundred million dollar
investment into a money pit. That was icy. A <i>mob boss</i> should deliver retribution so coldly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">One of the reels I saw was a conversation she had with
her parents and manager, wherein she told them about her plans to push her fans
into not only registering to vote but to vote against Donald Trump and
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn. She spoke passionately about how Blackburn
voted against things she held dear like the Violence Against Women Act,
pointedly gesturing to herself as she mentioned the anti-stalking portions. It
was clear her dad was against such a move but she said she understood it was a
risk and she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t use her notoriety to
speak out on something so important. The moment gave me chills. I hope she
stands up again for the next election. I don’t think there’s anyone on the
planet who can mobilize people better than she could mobilize her Swifties.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">There were a lot of Reels that featured her appearances
on talk shows or being interviewed at events, and she always came across as funny,
humble, and self-deprecating, kind of a goofball. She seems like your adorable
babysitter from next door. Yet very sharp. She stands up for herself in the face
of nitpicking and criticism, defending her choices and pointing out how male
artists are rarely characterized the same way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">She talks about how back in school she always felt like
the nerd, the outcast, and how she didn’t really fit in. I think that kind of
thing stays with you, in that deep down, if you were the outsider, you always
feel like that, no matter where your life takes you. I think that’s what keeps
her grounded. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Travis Kelce’s dad commented, after their big “coming out”
game, that afterward, she was cleaning up the suite herself before they all
left. That tells me right there that she’s not the type to “Big Shot” people.
She just wants to be one of the family.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Word is that she gifted every member of her crew, from
dancers to truck drivers to stage assistants, a bonus of $100,000. I bet her
accountant had a heart attack! Generosity like that shows that she has to be
massively wealthy. (If there is any money to be had in music, it comes from
songwriting royalties. As the writer of all her songs, she has been set up for
life.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I can’t even fathom what it must be like to live like
her. Sure the great houses and private jets are one thing, but this person can’t
even step out of the house without drawing a crowd of photographers and fans.
How does one cope with a never-ending swarm of people, all of whom want something
from you? Smile here, sign autographs there, now please pose for a selfie? Can you
say something to my daughter on the phone? It’s impossible to win. You can sign
and pose until you collapse but there will always be more. Or you can ignore it
all and be called a phony or a snob. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I saw a recent clip of her coming out of a restaurant and
heading for her ride, surrounded by hordes of fans photogs and onlookers. But
then she saw a little girl on the fringes, so she veered from the car door and
headed right over to her to say hi and pose for a picture. That was a beautiful
thing to do. And I bet there were others in the crowd cursing her because she
didn’t come to <i>them</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I would go batshit crazy from the pressure of it all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Could you imagine what would happen if she tried to do
something as mundane as grocery shopping? The place would be mobbed in the time
it takes for a dozen people to send a text to their friends… “<i>Taylor’s in the freezer aisle! Come quick!</i>”
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>Taylor, sign this
coupon!”</i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>Everybody</i>, <i>Taylor touched this melon. The bidding
starts at $100!”<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s good that she’s rich because fame like this
certainly comes with a massive price. But I also heard her tell an interviewer
that whenever she feels overwhelmed by it all, she tells herself that she asked
for it. This was the dream she knowingly pursued but I’m not sure she ever
really imagined her current realm of success. Who could? Yet, I see a young
woman handling immense pressure with grace and class. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Can you imagine what would happen if she ever decided to
run for office? Maybe she should put her money where her mouth is and run
against Senator Blackburn when this term is up. Hell, if an under-the-radar
comedian like Al Franken could do it, it certainly seems within the
capabilities of Taylor and her Swiftie army. And she could self-finance, to be truly
independent of big moneyed interests.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Worst case scenario, her campaign rallies would be a vast
improvement over what we see now.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-72296726784732993382023-12-04T17:08:00.001-05:002023-12-04T17:08:07.462-05:00One Clown Down...<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>… And only a couple dozen more to go!</b> Yes, Congress has
finally rid themselves of the corrupt sideshow that was George Santos. Frankly,
I’m surprised it actually happened. In fact, I can’t really figure out why the Republicans
did it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I know there were some who were publicly quoted as
saying they wouldn’t consider it purely because he’s a voting number for them.
Republicans are nothing if not focused on the bottom line of maintaining any
power they gain.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Maybe some of them figure that their margin doesn’t much
matter during this and next year’s terms because they can’t pass anything that
will get through the Senate and be signed by the President anyway. In the best-case
scenario, sane/moderate Republicans join the Democrats in keeping the
government’s doors open and passing must-have operational bills as needed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Maybe this was their opportunity to stop looking like
jokes and take a reasonable moral stand. Should it be that hard to say, “<i>You can’t remain a Congressman if you make
up your entire life story prior to your election and then embezzle campaign
money raised from donors?</i>” It’s a low bar, but at least there’s a limit.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgTTvdzF1VU9PrmiUZizgnPDHSgu24HS_cse6r6ZZZXlxmCssPDEbQkgPia7h01jQnHM2EzZvZ7q40_mygAx8x0IKr3rGCQbFpJRhEbj4ZqHsCVjBSas5j3cHs6tfPsnh41hHOuKZxVM1zJYoDX2vFX9b63XOpLBkIDkOGmAUDRvAGr3LR33Ru63U0hdU/s709/1283%20Kal%20GOP%20Spine%20Storage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="709" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgTTvdzF1VU9PrmiUZizgnPDHSgu24HS_cse6r6ZZZXlxmCssPDEbQkgPia7h01jQnHM2EzZvZ7q40_mygAx8x0IKr3rGCQbFpJRhEbj4ZqHsCVjBSas5j3cHs6tfPsnh41hHOuKZxVM1zJYoDX2vFX9b63XOpLBkIDkOGmAUDRvAGr3LR33Ru63U0hdU/w640-h472/1283%20Kal%20GOP%20Spine%20Storage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">From yesterday's Baltimore Sun.</div></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I mean, Santos has only been a Congressman for about a
year; it’s not like they’re tied to the guy. Not like with TFG, to whom they're married lock, stock, and barrel. They can jettison Santos, still keep a
majority in the House, (they only need one more than the Dems to run the committees,
so they have a few to spare), and demonstrate that their party recognizes real
corruption. This is a vast change over their penchant for seeing corruption
where it isn’t but desperately wish it was, or not seeing it when it’s
plastered all over the wall in front of them because they don’t want to admit
their Orange Idol is a crooked, raving, maniac, bent on turning the USA into a theocratic
dictatorship. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">(Yes, I know TFG doesn’t give a shit about the
Christianity part of it, but it keeps the Evangelical nutjobs in line while
costing him nothing.)</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Jg1s648pcv2zW1fMTNd61wVEkMu0USjwPQ1zufhCCV6BL9aEsIcvzL1midvYORl4l94rmVTVaSiEwtn-PkahvK-WsD4bYg3k0d7Pz1GSLtwM-HUGqNtva9TnqLpcbZgx_TuhLDucseHSwJkN4Fylg2bn7KNCQGK60hcKojaX1k9hjKeyddlSXEzBHXXR/s534/1283%20TFG%20Corruption.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="534" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Jg1s648pcv2zW1fMTNd61wVEkMu0USjwPQ1zufhCCV6BL9aEsIcvzL1midvYORl4l94rmVTVaSiEwtn-PkahvK-WsD4bYg3k0d7Pz1GSLtwM-HUGqNtva9TnqLpcbZgx_TuhLDucseHSwJkN4Fylg2bn7KNCQGK60hcKojaX1k9hjKeyddlSXEzBHXXR/w400-h356/1283%20TFG%20Corruption.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Hunting Season</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And speaking of seeing corruption where it’s not, did you
see Hunter Biden hand the Republicans their asses last week?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They subpoenaed him for a hearing, to which he agreed, IF
it was public. What a move! That’s the last thing they want because they KNOW
it’s a giant nothing-burger and the only hope they have of making their case is
by cherry-picking the testimony to make it look worse than it is. They know if
people are watching the testimony, there will be too many calling foul when Fox
“News” and Breitbart twist the facts.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionaQOXPccAKdfkW5F9EU7Giq6piYACyRfPerAKEjsqo54wtrKKYA5bnYJbYpShjIsLG6w5rTsHfrT21fx3NdN_rTWY6jTCvQ4qRzaaDDQ5GGPuTxTin04jmQPzBWWs3mD4_lYXovBf3BAlbuwOsVD_4xuA9EbdEgWqJB0RtpRhD8vNyoEv2Xgu1JLyoMF/s540/1283%20Raskin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionaQOXPccAKdfkW5F9EU7Giq6piYACyRfPerAKEjsqo54wtrKKYA5bnYJbYpShjIsLG6w5rTsHfrT21fx3NdN_rTWY6jTCvQ4qRzaaDDQ5GGPuTxTin04jmQPzBWWs3mD4_lYXovBf3BAlbuwOsVD_4xuA9EbdEgWqJB0RtpRhD8vNyoEv2Xgu1JLyoMF/w400-h400/1283%20Raskin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Jaime Raskin is a Representative from Maryland,
but unfortunately, not from my district. I really hoped he would have run for
John Sarbanes’ Senate seat.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So now they can’t allow his open testimony AND then can’t
say he won’t appear. It’s a real poser to try to explain why public testimony
is bad (for a case they’ve been hyping for years) and a close-door hearing is
good. If an open hearing is good enough to distribute dick pics, it should be
good enough for serious testimony.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It just goes to show (again) that this class of
Republican is only interested in manufacturing outrage and selling it to the
voters. They come in with the verdict first, and then cobble together whatever
props it up, even if it’s only for one news cycle. They want tit-for-tat
revenge for the Democrats daring to impeach their lord and master and use “facts,”
“eye-witnesses,” and “evidence,” to do so. Imagine the nerve!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">In Sickness and in
Health</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And speaking of TFG, I can’t believe he’s going after
Obamacare again. This guy has literally not learned a thing. People can get
pretty sensitive about their health care. The last thing they want is for it to
disappear, with nothing left but an empty promise of something better. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I can’t believe he’s STILL telling people that he’s got
his own health care plan, all ready to be rolled out soon. Have we not heard that
all before? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Republicans have had 13 years to propose a “solution” to
Obamacare, including two years where they had unrestrained power, and they
couldn’t even come up with a proposal. All they can do is spout inflammatory platitudes
about the ACA, with nothing to back it up. It still saves the country money in
the long run and insures people who couldn’t get insurance before. It would
work even better if Red States actively participated, rather than doing everything
they could to bring it down. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I still maintain that the only thing they don’t like
about “Obamacare” is the “Obama” part. After all, it was a Heritage Foundation
idea in the first place. They don’t like any idea that a Democrat supports, including
their own.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Have Republicans ever proposed, anytime in the last 40
years, a program that serves the general public without kowtowing to big
business? Republicans just do not DO public service. I guarantee that any
health care idea floated by Republicans will be looking out for business
interests first and the public’s interest second, if at all. Big business wants
out of being an insurance provider in the first place. I think the only reason
they don’t support single-payer is that the big insurance companies would go
belly up. Plus it would be something else for which they’d have to come up with
a way to dodge the taxes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I like that Biden is reintroducing the idea of a public
option. That’s where you can get government insurance if you want it or
continue with private insurance. And if they undercut the insurance company’s
prices, you can expect that it will go over <i>very</i>
well… except with Republicans, who will manufacture a reason why paying less
for insurance is somehow a bad idea. (I presume the word “Socialism” will be in
the first sentence.)</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-49767048130446125652023-11-27T18:49:00.001-05:002023-11-27T18:49:46.939-05:00The Crazy is in Plain Sight<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This story came out several weeks ago and I apologize for
not working it in sooner, but I can’t let it pass without at least saying <i>something</i>…</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnVtt56RLQtfg9fCe3U35CjDFW_RhRWdh8bkmWtiNrgjCZ6U0cOE-M3NuPPc4geQCL7ZjppF28kiYBeHdWoqx9cp-BnGtk6cxRfV85aSiGB5oKwfyhUd-Dr1n1s6WeuU43o1STki-sHf7NYicSJKxWTtuLBsFYtAnZR77KyuFDxhPLyLm2IRy5bsWzskE/s870/1282a%20TFG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="870" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnVtt56RLQtfg9fCe3U35CjDFW_RhRWdh8bkmWtiNrgjCZ6U0cOE-M3NuPPc4geQCL7ZjppF28kiYBeHdWoqx9cp-BnGtk6cxRfV85aSiGB5oKwfyhUd-Dr1n1s6WeuU43o1STki-sHf7NYicSJKxWTtuLBsFYtAnZR77KyuFDxhPLyLm2IRy5bsWzskE/w640-h120/1282a%20TFG.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">I would believe this if it were a survey of Fortune 500
CEOs, but “most Americans?” Seriously? I’d love to know what it is they think
TFG did to make their finances better. Maybe it’s all the hype that Fox “News”
puts on the TFG Tax Cuts so they think it applies to the general public. Nothing
could be further from the truth. The big Tax Cut Lollapalooza of 2017 went
almost exclusively to the richest 1% and was made permanent. The remaining
scraps went to the rest of us and were designed to sunset after 7 years. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And while Republicans are losing their mind about the
deficit, it was this tax cut package that made it explode. But rather than fix
the deficit by repealing the Fat Cat Tax Cuts, they want to cut social services
and our “entitlements,” meaning Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. How is it that “most Americans don’t understand these facts?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">TFG also rolled out a giant tariff program, because he
didn’t understand that the manufacturing country doesn’t pay these extra fees,
they roll it down to the consumers, meaning <i>US</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Maybe people are nostalgic for the days when gas was
under $2.00 a gallon. They remember that but forget that the reason for the
low price was that no one was driving, for fear of catching The Rona, the fight
against which was criminally botched by TFG’s administration. No demand equals
low prices. Was it really worth over a million American lives just to get cheap
gas for a couple months?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">At every turn, Republicans demonstrate that they don’t
give a flying fig about the average citizen’s finances. If they did, they would
do something about it. Democrats would join them, hand in hand. But that’s not
what they care about. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And then, the part about how TFG and the Republicans
would keep America out of wars? Just because they want to pretend the world
ends at our border doesn’t mean they don’t want to keep the Defense Department
and all the Defense Contractors flush with money. Just ask Tom Cotton, who
wants to start <a href="https://crooksandliars.com/2023/11/tom-cotton-pushes-us-troops-viable" title="T Cotton pushes troops as option in Gaza">deploying our personnel into
Gaza</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPu76YgAnT_nyR-Khp5i0SvtMoxxRPjwhxR0RMvnLRBleUBgb0ln9iI73_SNWHgSeGOHVODDU-R7j4ivBn8DQ6eSrIc2cQYYYSZZ80NQL-eF9XS2AyzcKJRJM9hUI3_zwJrFDpMm46Km4frK56fSxyy8NstnZr1RlUVO9x6xDamZHc_ZBZgHXQ1C7E5GV/s333/1282%20Troops%20in%20Gaza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="333" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPu76YgAnT_nyR-Khp5i0SvtMoxxRPjwhxR0RMvnLRBleUBgb0ln9iI73_SNWHgSeGOHVODDU-R7j4ivBn8DQ6eSrIc2cQYYYSZZ80NQL-eF9XS2AyzcKJRJM9hUI3_zwJrFDpMm46Km4frK56fSxyy8NstnZr1RlUVO9x6xDamZHc_ZBZgHXQ1C7E5GV/s320/1282%20Troops%20in%20Gaza.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing">No, there will always be a war, or some other “police
action,” to keep the Defense money flowing. And I don’t mean to the enlisted
personnel. We KNOW TFG doesn’t give a shit about them… He said they were “suckers
and losers” for joining the military. He doesn’t care if they’re underpaid. But
they sure want the biggest and best bombs money can buy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s a testament to Right Wing messaging that TFG is even
a factor in the next presidential race. Fox “News,” and the rest of the Echo
Chamber ignore any and all gaffes, mistakes, and complete fuckups, and alibi
out any that make it through to their fan club’s ears. Even with the glowing
economic numbers being released over the last months, they have people thinking
we’re in a recession and blame it on Biden. It doesn’t matter if it’s complete
bullshit, people want to believe it because it plays to their biases. Like the
bias that TFG is a sane, rational, being, despite overwhelming evidence to the
contrary.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">(Trump gaffes)<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEEOgQTcSRP4e6r5MLrUdGP7RVSMAIIP5ptb32vP1mPPHNMwtPK7f4H2vOA3M3AA9wechjKyZbxffFTGJLCHrYj5oOORP8s0qlOsjNtlbtl2U0sTqMZik2kUwUqQBhuFWPO-72nFOufnpmMB3F459_vxVNc4EkANga7xy38bXLBaKvyTfH6U8JWYDTilA/s875/1282%20TFG%20Gaffes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="875" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEEOgQTcSRP4e6r5MLrUdGP7RVSMAIIP5ptb32vP1mPPHNMwtPK7f4H2vOA3M3AA9wechjKyZbxffFTGJLCHrYj5oOORP8s0qlOsjNtlbtl2U0sTqMZik2kUwUqQBhuFWPO-72nFOufnpmMB3F459_vxVNc4EkANga7xy38bXLBaKvyTfH6U8JWYDTilA/w640-h118/1282%20TFG%20Gaffes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is right out of the GOP playbook, from Bush to Palin
to TFG. Even when you’re wrong, claim to be right. If there’s proof, dismiss it
as biased. Claim to be the victim of a media conspiracy. Do anything but admit
you messed up. It would be funny if it wasn’t so alarming. Oh, and be sure to
seek retribution against anyone who tries to hold you accountable.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAK8BTqLWKFwEHj7kUYSRplU0HnWWyAJC6H7TWWE4WBVz4WXYHrqeQyQk3FO8CRSDvF5FKAH2gaPnfxT8XGsvIRfuDp-RcRqPIQY5O2gGzjjuyMyR7OzowR4oYXUscqFVhyyyXbP4IIVPI80RqVO1MIAKoI_rW9vKWk4dtgfyrNj2ZFZrjxF8p9C7nmJc/s875/1282%20TFG%20Mental%20Inst.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="875" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAK8BTqLWKFwEHj7kUYSRplU0HnWWyAJC6H7TWWE4WBVz4WXYHrqeQyQk3FO8CRSDvF5FKAH2gaPnfxT8XGsvIRfuDp-RcRqPIQY5O2gGzjjuyMyR7OzowR4oYXUscqFVhyyyXbP4IIVPI80RqVO1MIAKoI_rW9vKWk4dtgfyrNj2ZFZrjxF8p9C7nmJc/w595-h121/1282%20TFG%20Mental%20Inst.JPG" width="595" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And this isn’t a matter of letting all the pressure of
this prosecution get the better of a public servant, it’s the re-elected
president directing the Justice Department to round up his enemies and put them
in psych wards. Hang the charges, hang the trial, then hang the accused. Jail
them first, justify it later. (You know, in “two weeks,” when the long-awaited
Republican health care program is going to roll out. No matter the date, it’s
always two weeks away.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">How is it that Americans aren’t seeing these issues? Yes,
I know, everyone is busy. But one should never be too busy to know what’s going
on in one’s own country, even if it’s just for selfish reasons. After living
through the clown show that was 2017-2020, how can anyone think we need to do
that again, only with even less competence and more vengeance?</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqxgTtncSqN7x5hW8klHcN0xUWn3HdbedNrg5bJLXdHEFiOOnZxaXXbZuuWxHHSgbRyun7aU-YpTVwz_Tlzc57tFVhnmCfAfFus3TlBselqY42tcDcF_PJusbar163kMOjmSVkgBGbeOOxbDd0WJEfEr5Zkt5gsQ0FobqBeHqTFSE4Zj-Xsdw6brFQqEQ/s1119/1282_7846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1119" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqxgTtncSqN7x5hW8klHcN0xUWn3HdbedNrg5bJLXdHEFiOOnZxaXXbZuuWxHHSgbRyun7aU-YpTVwz_Tlzc57tFVhnmCfAfFus3TlBselqY42tcDcF_PJusbar163kMOjmSVkgBGbeOOxbDd0WJEfEr5Zkt5gsQ0FobqBeHqTFSE4Zj-Xsdw6brFQqEQ/w400-h381/1282_7846.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />I don’t care if Biden’s old; he’s not evil. He’s not a
crook. He’s not a psychopathic narcissist who will kill democracy to save his
own ass.<p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And speaking of evil, thank goodness we have Mike Johnson
to lead the charge against evil<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">*</span>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: helvetica;">*In the narrow way he defines it.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSjHzjvKLN1kQ1AZWa-N8uq9JF3sTvB53WCziRbcdRia2UxpRe9hEdMBWOBGq-0XY2GPoCFAIZGr6zzeOLsOhKuN0dQLq3p5N7vXrfe3bv4UTYo74yTGo9UYpfgsB0HFNp1B3s1IWCdOXhtJcP9Xq3H7BzreBV-JP_fY63ovnAomhb9pCOYU5RhSouyx7/s902/1282%20Revisit%20SCOTUS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="902" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSjHzjvKLN1kQ1AZWa-N8uq9JF3sTvB53WCziRbcdRia2UxpRe9hEdMBWOBGq-0XY2GPoCFAIZGr6zzeOLsOhKuN0dQLq3p5N7vXrfe3bv4UTYo74yTGo9UYpfgsB0HFNp1B3s1IWCdOXhtJcP9Xq3H7BzreBV-JP_fY63ovnAomhb9pCOYU5RhSouyx7/w640-h120/1282%20Revisit%20SCOTUS.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is a guy whose public statements call for
imprisoning doctors who perform abortions, eliminating hate crime laws,
criminalizing gay sex, and giving up the right to privacy. (Except for political
donors, of course. That’s nobody’s business.) Basically, the guy is a religious
nightmare bent on <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/mike-johnson-america-revisit-landmark-120100742.html" title="M Johnson wants to revisit landmark cases">making his own brand of fanaticism</a>
the law of the land. And the Republicans just put him second in line to the
presidency. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And speaking of wingnuts, MT Greene is still out there
fighting for relevance.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7Az6fa4B1NOjGT-J2OHo42_2sNfu31p3VNkEZplOQy7ziB2VpB5xxxyE7X5kXgkxKkk3WsbDocTVa4guwoBVP3KF4OCbN9mu-1Aym_GVAUYQK2KmhFXWxkZtTVUnuz6jjUBYJ-FTDQP1sdU-DA70QUtisKTmQotmsVcO02YuXwBGDlxkfOwLC9orzErC/s890/1282%20MTG%20Jan%206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="890" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7Az6fa4B1NOjGT-J2OHo42_2sNfu31p3VNkEZplOQy7ziB2VpB5xxxyE7X5kXgkxKkk3WsbDocTVa4guwoBVP3KF4OCbN9mu-1Aym_GVAUYQK2KmhFXWxkZtTVUnuz6jjUBYJ-FTDQP1sdU-DA70QUtisKTmQotmsVcO02YuXwBGDlxkfOwLC9orzErC/w640-h116/1282%20MTG%20Jan%206.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Now she wants to investigate the January 6<sup>th</sup>
investigators. I presume that’s because Fox “News” and the whole Right Wing
propaganda apparatus can’t hype Hunter Biden’s Laptop into the crime of the
century.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I watched most of the 1/6 hearings; I don’t understand
what it is she thinks she can allege. I mean, they have tons of witnesses and
reams of evidence. And this is coming from one of the ringleaders of the other
GOP “investigations,” that have delivered one nothing-burger after another in. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I presume it’s just more performance theater with an
audience of one. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Can’t we get Harlan Crowe, or one of the other Supreme
Court “special friends” to ship her off on a cruise somewhere, just to get her
out of town and minimize the embarrassment? The chipmunks driving the tiny
wheels in her brain have to be due for a break.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvJMneMA7YQcoXuxfVKcCLAW6-N3XGYYV9UwqvEaIRnKWxAWWgDqd_Kh6-W4Gns95e2Njy8UL1x8RxnVm41wTPUiycSmvVqBJYb2YJSiRO1IHMiBUGFYI4s6UPNaF8sJ3tdZOA0Q7lN9qky51olHFLXjtQ737hl5G700wh2OQs5QzoibpKfLkEXe3PoAW/s872/1282_7845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="872" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvJMneMA7YQcoXuxfVKcCLAW6-N3XGYYV9UwqvEaIRnKWxAWWgDqd_Kh6-W4Gns95e2Njy8UL1x8RxnVm41wTPUiycSmvVqBJYb2YJSiRO1IHMiBUGFYI4s6UPNaF8sJ3tdZOA0Q7lN9qky51olHFLXjtQ737hl5G700wh2OQs5QzoibpKfLkEXe3PoAW/w400-h319/1282_7845.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In fact, the whole thing makes me want to “run away.”</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfDLFyrDtGkWqsQo9n87g2WZqm5sTgirGQ4PotOdddUI8PSRm3daezXmJAwtLZpjdpummqYCyZKBohhT5N6zbTz3ZEQpAL0DpAnosf_37QwoNZVpMlU-_jxBYb14bXIB968wVyVK1gEj8COo9g6FfM7T0R_MlOR4DHPWrC0WOI8P-54fkUCkdfL8izg-R/s800/1282_7848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfDLFyrDtGkWqsQo9n87g2WZqm5sTgirGQ4PotOdddUI8PSRm3daezXmJAwtLZpjdpummqYCyZKBohhT5N6zbTz3ZEQpAL0DpAnosf_37QwoNZVpMlU-_jxBYb14bXIB968wVyVK1gEj8COo9g6FfM7T0R_MlOR4DHPWrC0WOI8P-54fkUCkdfL8izg-R/w640-h640/1282_7848.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">(Let's hear it for this awesome Photoshop. Great job! Once I saw it, I had to find a way to use it.)</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-11789354957730569352023-11-20T17:02:00.001-05:002023-11-21T08:06:38.912-05:00The Message Matters<p class="MsoNoSpacing">One of the things Democrats will have to improve
on, to win the 2024 elections, is their messaging. Even though many statistics
are favorable, there remains a general impression of economic and social
disaster everywhere we turn. A lot of that is because Conservative messaging is
so pervasive, overwhelming, and ultimately effective. As we’ve learned over the
last decade, the more a lie is repeated, the more it’s taken as fact.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Here’s an example of the kind of under-the-radar
messaging that we see and seem to accept, even though if you scratch the
surface at all, it falls apart.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QJXgmTENQR9D1MBWn8WThogiZ-jjpp7ThU64j-YxaidBOorWij2_eTZsEiGwBzwHkIQDsQxKr7PXvjtyJ9MvfwWiZMAuZyqOJwmRrV9DtPn7XBPVY8jLWgh9ma-7mN-0uPjsAFCoXQG9kqI19CL0fTdN_G1goX7e4YDgYEWm68FhNKowX9JBk19jNnq6/s881/1281%20Biden.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="881" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QJXgmTENQR9D1MBWn8WThogiZ-jjpp7ThU64j-YxaidBOorWij2_eTZsEiGwBzwHkIQDsQxKr7PXvjtyJ9MvfwWiZMAuZyqOJwmRrV9DtPn7XBPVY8jLWgh9ma-7mN-0uPjsAFCoXQG9kqI19CL0fTdN_G1goX7e4YDgYEWm68FhNKowX9JBk19jNnq6/w640-h421/1281%20Biden.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">My beef with this cartoon is that the big red arrows are
a mirage, all of which would certainly be worse if Republicans were fully in
charge. Let’s look:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: red;">US Debt:</span></b> The
deficit has come steadily down under President Biden. And it could come down a
lot more if there was even a smattering of Republican support for repealing TFG’s
tax cut for the rich, which not coincidentally, was the biggest contributor to
the deficit in the first place. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Republicans love to rail about the deficit when they’re
not in charge, using the opportunity to cut programs that don’t benefit them or
their wealthy benefactors, but only make up a minute portion of the debt. Then
as soon as they’re back in control it’s like, “<i>What deficit? Let’s cut taxes!</i>” Each time, they claim the tax cuts
will pay for themselves via economic boom, but it never, ever, happens. The big
companies don’t use the money to hire more or pay more, they just pocket it or
use it for stock buybacks, which greatly benefit the stockholders (which
usually includes their own board members with the most stock in hand.) Republicans
do not care about US debt other than as a way to chisel out more Federal money
for themselves.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;"><b>Inflation</b>:</span> The
US has the lowest post-COVID inflation rates among similarly developed
countries. It came in hard with COVID but has been lowering ever since. The
reason people are not feeling it at the store is because of corporate price
gouging, not inflation. If inflation was truly the reason for high consumer
prices, the big suppliers and retailers wouldn’t be posting record profits.
They are keeping prices artificially high and blaming it on inflation or “supply
chain” issues, that they know people don’t fully understand. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Putting it plainly, suppliers are setting prices far
higher than it would take to account for any hikes in supply prices. They do
that because they want to. And if you’re prone to conspiracy thinking, you could
say that they’re keeping their prices high because they know that President
Biden is taking the heat for it. Big business generally supports Republicans,
who they know are eager to keep regulations low and enable all efforts to
maximize profits, regardless of any possible harm to US citizens and the
environment. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: red;">Crime:</span></b> This is
always the big Go-To for law and order Republicans… big city crime! New York!
Chicago! All cesspools of rape, robbery, and murder. Except when you look at
the real statistics that show much higher crime rates in the Red States. More gun
deaths, more homicides, more poverty, all courtesy of Republican leadership and
policies.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The siren call about crime is really just racism. They
want to appear “Tough on Crime” so they appoint police chiefs who will install
policies like “Stop and Frisk,” which means police are urged to question and
detain basically anyone they want, to see if there’s something for which they
can arrest them. Basically, it’s a blank check to go out and pick up all the
black and brown men, bring them to jail, and store them there until the DA
eventually lets them back out. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Republicans: always tough on crime, unless it’s white-collar crime. Then, it’s just the cost of doing business. What’s a few hundred
thousand between fellow MBAs? But everyone else is guilty until proven
innocent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: red;">Homeless:</span></b> I
don’t really know of any recent stats or reporting on homelessness, although we
all know that home ownership is becoming increasingly hard to obtain, and rent is skyrocketing. But I’ll ask you this: What have Republicans ever proposed
to address homelessness? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’ll tell you, nothing. Their best idea to combat
homelessness is to put more people in jail. (See item above.) Republicans want
the homeless not to be seen in places Republicans go. They’ll move them around
or shut down encampments, but a real solution? The next one will be the first
one. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: red;">Border Crisis:</span></b>
I’ll agree that the border is a mess. There needs to be a coherent national policy
on immigration. The snag is that the Republican philosophy on immigration is
for there not to be any immigration (from the South. Members of the Swedish
Bikini Team, as well as Eastern European mail-order brides, are always welcome.)
So it’s no wonder they reject anything Democrats put on the table to bring
order to the chaos. Plus, it’s a winner of a campaign issue with their MAGA
base. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So they make up a bunch of shit about terrorists pouring
over the border, which no one can corroborate, or that they’re smuggling Fentanyl
into the country, while most of the supply is coming from US citizens making
round trips. But like with abortion, they'd rather use it to campaign than solve it, because it’s an effective way to terrorize Middle America into
voting for the party that promises to keep the invading brown people from overwhelming
their towns, drugging their kids, and raping their women.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So yes, once you realize that these scary red arrows are
just big Red Herrings, the Dems should definitely address why Biden’s support
is so scarce. Our Constitution literally depends on it.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-62922792806691527732023-11-13T16:11:00.002-05:002023-11-29T15:45:35.100-05:00Listen Up, Vermin<p class="MsoNoSpacing">All it takes is one little thing to go wrong for
Republicans to show their true colors. The reproductive rights amendment
passing in Ohio was one of those things because we can see the GOP talking
heads revealing more about their intentions than they’d normally like.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">First, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/rick-santorum-blames-very-sexy-144852346.html" target="_blank">we have a Republican </a>who apparently wants to
repeal the entire democratic process:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hhyphenhyphen1MKbc4ZZGp-Hv-7u_V78ovezcxJx_4V-AapHEveBhmj2Tg24Ca8r-vWG715j90Ju5HgA57EPhFE32gk3YmovQ9CtKgXh1_l3yzcZ57_c2jYzpp5SuDSON_RQbn_we3eC0LTXf7JW0wTrxhlYtN8fdYYOQh1ixk4Gu0eTDEIOB0E2dPTfWVs9Nz3Le/s792/1280a%20Santorum.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="792" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hhyphenhyphen1MKbc4ZZGp-Hv-7u_V78ovezcxJx_4V-AapHEveBhmj2Tg24Ca8r-vWG715j90Ju5HgA57EPhFE32gk3YmovQ9CtKgXh1_l3yzcZ57_c2jYzpp5SuDSON_RQbn_we3eC0LTXf7JW0wTrxhlYtN8fdYYOQh1ixk4Gu0eTDEIOB0E2dPTfWVs9Nz3Le/w640-h120/1280a%20Santorum.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">I can’t believe anyone listens to this guy in the first
place. Didn’t he get laughed out of politics already? But yes, the 2000’s
Poster Boy for Religious Prigishness said “<i>Thank
goodness that most of the states in this country don’t allow you to put
everything on the ballot because pure democracies are not the way to run a
country.</i> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I guarantee he would have the opposite answer if the Ohio
referendum was rejected. This is all about the man’s internal feeling of
superiority regarding himself and his ethnic/religious group. (White, male,
religious conservatives.) What he's really saying is that "the people" aren't fit to determine the rule by which they live, they need people like him and his conspirators to decide for them. How noxious is that?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">He also took the time to shit on young Ohioans:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>You put very sexy
things like abortion and marijuana on the ballot, and a lot of young people come
out and vote. It was a secret sauce for disaster in Ohio.</i>”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Right. To him, voting is supposed to be like cutting the
grass. It’s not supposed to be fun or engaging, just something that grownups
have to do. Heaven forbid that young people voice their opinion on something
that 100% affects their lives. Much better for them to pipe down, listen to
their church officials, and get back to flipping those burgers. Never mind that in some states, getting caught with a trivial amount of pot can ruin your life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is a disaster for Republicans because it’s one more
banner headline shouting that most people don’t agree with them on these
positions. In a logical society, that would cause one to question one’s efforts
to enact restrictions that are abhorrent to the majority of the state or
nation. But not Republicans. They go straight to “<i>How can we enforce our views on this anyway?”</i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEWt2qqs_Q4BlMrzFf9ZPGasIzrLF0zyJx_DL15K9rqxXwT47sPh_pR0g4LfmKNTKF5gNfoj0kmspJQfAHhwtwBw6ejA6-R_MEki_deAwWrgiqA_YqXiWKcfXM7ekxatNQjSMhKy3SREjQHduilB_EGjz910PZgyw9ktCvIA0uSG3MGo7YaydqhhHA7_V/s869/1280b%20Amendment%20Undo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="869" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEWt2qqs_Q4BlMrzFf9ZPGasIzrLF0zyJx_DL15K9rqxXwT47sPh_pR0g4LfmKNTKF5gNfoj0kmspJQfAHhwtwBw6ejA6-R_MEki_deAwWrgiqA_YqXiWKcfXM7ekxatNQjSMhKy3SREjQHduilB_EGjz910PZgyw9ktCvIA0uSG3MGo7YaydqhhHA7_V/w640-h120/1280b%20Amendment%20Undo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They want to keep bringing the issue up for referendum.
To them, it’s just a matter of how they word it, or how they advertise it, not
that their central point is objectionable. The referendum passed 56.6% to 43.4%.
That’s not even close. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They tried to make the passing threshold higher last
August, but that failed as well because people saw that for what it was: an end-around
by Republicans to circumvent the democratic process.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Maybe if they can just use the right field-tested
phrases, they think, or maybe do something about mail-in voting. Then their
standard voter suppression tactics might have more of an effect. Why go to all
the trouble to demand certain IDs, close the places that issue them to your
opponents, and reduce the number of voting machines so the lines are
staggeringly long if people can just mail in their ballots? What’s a ratfucker
to do?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Back at Bullshit Central, I mean, Fox "News," Sean Hannity had thoughts:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PNygxYK52t1_TZQQ6RTxmWC3w7g2WGYnw22D8NgNkTxJz2a8Cxog1sKN0Jo4Pm0MlbllqqjIj03_q2Xa4T_tt7PlfJ8gBdaM8WG7S_cqdE-Q-_RWzE33mKRIf2d2ShawsRuIPSWQbBTRA1SzPbK57-JD-62UptcFY1QIQjBbML3VyAIrBWD11f4p9mcF/s781/1280c%20Hannity.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="781" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PNygxYK52t1_TZQQ6RTxmWC3w7g2WGYnw22D8NgNkTxJz2a8Cxog1sKN0Jo4Pm0MlbllqqjIj03_q2Xa4T_tt7PlfJ8gBdaM8WG7S_cqdE-Q-_RWzE33mKRIf2d2ShawsRuIPSWQbBTRA1SzPbK57-JD-62UptcFY1QIQjBbML3VyAIrBWD11f4p9mcF/w640-h120/1280c%20Hannity.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The preposterousness of this is killing me. Dude,
Democrats don’t have to scare people about their abortion rights being taken
away; the Republicans are doing a damned fine job of it themselves! All we have
to do is look at what’s happening in Texas, Indiana, Florida, and other places
where the right-wing inmates are running the asylum. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And look at the very things Republicans are saying… they’re
<i>telling us</i> that they want to introduce a national abortion ban. Granted, other
Republicans are telling them to STFU, but that’s because they know how badly
the country will react to that. Not that it means they won’t do it, just that
they want to do it AFTER they amass all the power and have the ability to jerry-rig future elections. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">All Democrats have to do to be scared of losing
reproductive rights is listen to what Republicans are saying and watch what
they’re doing. The conclusion is inescapable.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They do not care what the majority of the country wants.
They. Do. Not. Care. We are just blunt instruments to them, peons they need to
keep the wheels turning on the economy. Cogs in the machine to keep their cars and yachts running. Grunts to do the heavy lifting of
sending dollars to the 1%. What we want is immaterial.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The air of superiority wafts through their pores, where
they only hear the voices of their own kind. They do not listen to any other “kind.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">TFG was talking about that this weekend, referring to
anyone who didn’t agree with him as “vermin.” He wants to “exterminate the
vermin.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">You don’t need me to point out how very Third Reich that
is. At this point, they’re leaning into the fascism. TFG has been talking all
along about how he’s going to remake government so that it serves HIM, and he
can sic the Justice Department and the IRS on anyone who displeases him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Is that what our veterans fought and died for? So some
fat, pampered, schmuck can play King for a Day? Or forever?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In the next election, the very soul of our country is at
stake. We have to turn out for the election and win and we have to make it stick. We
have to make it painful for those who try to rig the game and overturn the
clear-throated voice of the people. And make it crystal clear that the government
<i>works for us</i>. <i>All </i>of us, not just the
well-connected. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If that doesn’t happen, our mantel of being a free
country is doomed. How do I know? Because I’m listening to what Republicans are
telling us. It’s the Project 2025 plan. They are literally telling us they’re
going to create a government for and by straight, White, Christian/Evangelical,
Republicans. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Dissenting voices need not apply.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedKmLQmU9RM3g1ccIltrfLSFDvLcHNZHRsS0e19NRAMvjgJzPuhgKRoitXkUNL3UjrDNv9xhw6r2SNZjyzUVgIirTOAPA6r9jIlFcOlav7TknLXObFf-lbIjL2Y5yhFzw4bAwApPZgyOmWiAPczcIynrTR064bCwVo66zZ1XLvSlMZUlvjLg4osNB0M7A/s958/1280%20Trolley%20Prob.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedKmLQmU9RM3g1ccIltrfLSFDvLcHNZHRsS0e19NRAMvjgJzPuhgKRoitXkUNL3UjrDNv9xhw6r2SNZjyzUVgIirTOAPA6r9jIlFcOlav7TknLXObFf-lbIjL2Y5yhFzw4bAwApPZgyOmWiAPczcIynrTR064bCwVo66zZ1XLvSlMZUlvjLg4osNB0M7A/w346-h400/1280%20Trolley%20Prob.JPG" width="346" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-27280090485630546912023-11-06T17:47:00.002-05:002023-11-10T11:35:14.087-05:00Back to Business as Usual<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Overheard in a Congressional back room (probably): “<i>On behalf of the Right half of the Senate, congratulations
on your new job as Speaker of the House. Now pull your head out of your ass and
stop with the crazy talk. We know you’ve been an anti-abortion activist all
your life and we support you in that. But introducing a national ban is
political suicide. More than 60% of the country is against us on that, so we’d
much rather use your abortion shit as a campaign issue to keep the Wingnuts… I
mean, our evangelical base, revved up. If we actually ban abortion, we’re out
on our asses come next November. So by all means, talk the talk about the
sanctity of life, but don’t actually DO anything about it or that will jeopardize
the sanctity of our jobs. And it will generate headlines like this</i>:”</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUFD_-4Y5KAkm8RwvskfMkA2k-UoH5_MEFBDqH1_lxRJQqgRN6su9ZHrbnoXv8SgoBQV-cH1xfja7wwETZr-EXtWiRSiAdtIKUKNT7Aqeyz5rO4LF1JKEurr-gJx_QI-3630ygdFx2RevIoxmrJH7PP3Jp3dHtgx157k_E7aOHZaT5-ag6vdXojnP84MQ/s873/1279b.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="873" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUFD_-4Y5KAkm8RwvskfMkA2k-UoH5_MEFBDqH1_lxRJQqgRN6su9ZHrbnoXv8SgoBQV-cH1xfja7wwETZr-EXtWiRSiAdtIKUKNT7Aqeyz5rO4LF1JKEurr-gJx_QI-3630ygdFx2RevIoxmrJH7PP3Jp3dHtgx157k_E7aOHZaT5-ag6vdXojnP84MQ/w640-h118/1279b.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Like with Southern border security, this is too valuable
to them as a campaign issue to lose by taking action. It’s far better for them
to use the issue to browbeat the simple minds into submission, with scary talk
of invaders, terrorists, and freeloaders bent on taking your jobs. (“<i>The Oxymorons</i> are coming!”) Republicans could
have passed a real border security/immigration bill, (as opposed to their “wall”
bullshit which was much more effective as a symbol than an actual barrier), but
they weren’t interested. They could have done it themselves when they had control
of both Houses and the Presidency, or even with the help of Democrats, provided
it wasn’t loaded with poison pills. But they passed nothing because they didn’t
really care about it. Someone’s gotta pick the lettuce, right? And if Americans
do it, even at minimum wage, it’ll cost $35 for a salad. They WANT a cheap
labor force available. But they’re not too proud to use the issue to scare
people into voting Republican. It’s the same way with abortion. It’s great
for moving 30% of the country, but a hot poker in the eye to the other 60%.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">We’re only now hearing story after story about the
unintended consequences of abortion bans in states like Texas, where the
wingnuts are in charge. Whoever these Senators are who spoke to Mike Johnson, they're taking heed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Meanwhile in the Senate…</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegLVzLoY1grGJdVkEHYaeYFrxC1n0m5Tt0Uea9ilQdP366EVlvpXG-BeKYYhC_YljUlnPoINkaenwH2xJYE_nO-AdQKlkolmLXhkphr04r_qaaIErHpLRkjCFbYhVFBVeK2KqhCzT8S7LXdgxUny3XNxyH3Dr2sxqeFkmVVe-72yRWw73kX1n7OiMrDWj/s853/1279a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="853" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegLVzLoY1grGJdVkEHYaeYFrxC1n0m5Tt0Uea9ilQdP366EVlvpXG-BeKYYhC_YljUlnPoINkaenwH2xJYE_nO-AdQKlkolmLXhkphr04r_qaaIErHpLRkjCFbYhVFBVeK2KqhCzT8S7LXdgxUny3XNxyH3Dr2sxqeFkmVVe-72yRWw73kX1n7OiMrDWj/w640-h116/1279a.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Hmm, maybe things are warming up on the subject. People
may be getting too close to the truth. What he’s referring to is that Sen. Dick
Durbin is sending subpoenas to a couple of these fatcat billionaires (and their
pawns) who have been schmoozing with Justices Thomas and Alito, while providing
them with lavish vacations and accommodations, transportation, and loans that
they never have to repay.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/mcconnell-tells-senate-democrats-back-194619072.html" title="McConnell tels Senator to back off the Supremes">About which McConnell
said</a>, “<i>What he’s targeting here is
private citizens with no legislative purpose. I think it’s completely and
totally inappropriate.</i>”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I think Mitch makes more sense when he goes catatonic
than he does here. How can it NOT be appropriate to investigate when our
highest jurists in the nation appear to be taking in hundreds of thousands in
goodies and then issuing rulings that benefit their benefactors?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The “legislative purpose” is the notion that laws get
passed and reviewed on their merits, rather than being foregone conclusions
that always benefit the rich, because of shady, under-the-table pocket-stuffing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I think what Mitch finds “inappropriate” is to have to
explain to the donors why they are no longer getting returns for their massive
bribes… I mean payoffs… I mean donations to dear friends. The last thing they
want is some kind of Code of Ethics where they must publicly declare every <s>kickback</s>
gift they receive. And we’re not talking
about branded keychains here, not unless they contain the keys to a new yacht. I
think he also knows that there are more such arrangements that can go public
with a little more investigation, that might lay bare just how corrupt the Red
Six really are, and how far up their robes the Big Donor tentacles go.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-75646388902332903692023-10-30T17:04:00.003-04:002023-10-30T17:04:48.986-04:00Not My Circus, Not My Clowns<p class="MsoNoSpacing">With the sound of a great whoopee cushion going off and
the sight of blood-red smoke pouring from the top of the Capitol building, the
Republicans finally brought their circus to a close and elected a Speaker.
Unfortunately, continuing the chaos might have been better for the country than
the clown they put in charge of the Big Top. This guy is Gym Jordan without the
hyper-aggressive, sleeves-up, frat-boy bluster<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Mike Johnson, (R-Stone Age LA) was able to claim the
mantel of Speaker of the House, which demonstrated to all who are watching,
just what their priorities are.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->1)<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Appear loyal to TFG at all costs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->2)<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Persecute Gays by overturning the right to Same
Sex Marriage, and other human rights.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->3)<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Persecute women by passing a national abortion
ban, without exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the mother… I mean “incubator.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->4)<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Raise the retirement age for Social Security and
Medicare, and scaling back benefits.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Is there really anything Republicans are for that isn’t abhorrent
to anyone that’s not filthy rich, racist/White supremacist, or a religious
zealot?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Republicans had a choice between someone sane who can get
important items moved through the house but instead elected someone to take a
flamethrower to the Constitution.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Don’t bother looking to Congress to take any action that
will solve actual problems, fiscal, physical, or otherwise. I mean, look what
this new guy is on record as stating:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmOpsLmKRk_wSrZGHtUBEOZta1bIk9X-Cq7bAcy0PduaYxa7rnwQG8F7FXMZuAW3edhpoBqHvu4t8naxinEq-GKWtJ_1vJU9Av5naXgPbU3dCWRZWhj171vZVc5BEPq7FvH7JnlEWCydjTfAAjBxxO-ZyVVk-rSKaMNTQk6bvmOAhk2-Tc-ip0jlcRLHX/s886/1278a%20Speaker.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="886" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmOpsLmKRk_wSrZGHtUBEOZta1bIk9X-Cq7bAcy0PduaYxa7rnwQG8F7FXMZuAW3edhpoBqHvu4t8naxinEq-GKWtJ_1vJU9Av5naXgPbU3dCWRZWhj171vZVc5BEPq7FvH7JnlEWCydjTfAAjBxxO-ZyVVk-rSKaMNTQk6bvmOAhk2-Tc-ip0jlcRLHX/w640-h122/1278a%20Speaker.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Yes, that’s the solution to making Social Security
solvent… forcing women to have more babies. I guarantee you if women <i>did</i> have more babies, they’d <i>still</i> find a way to cut or curtail the
Social Security program. Republicans just don’t like it and never will… not
until they can come up with a way to let their rich donors skim the system
first, leaving the rest of us to fight over the scraps.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The easiest fix in the world would be to remove the
income cap for Social Security taxes, which is currently $160,200. Once people
make that much money in a year, they no longer have to pay into Social
Security. Do you realize what a boost it would be if the richest of the rich
continued to pay Social Security taxes on their millions and billions? We’d
never have to worry about solvency again. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I have to pay Social Security taxes on every dime I make.
There is no reason the rich shouldn’t do the same but for this sweetheart gift
they had created for themselves.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Of course, we’d also have to legislate some kind of
regulations that forbid the loopholes and moving of money around to avoid that
would inevitably be used to game the system again. But those details can be
ironed out later, once we’ve found enough legislators with the backbone to do
what’s right rather than what they’re being paid to do by their donor
overlords. Maybe they could demonstrate some faith in the system that their
constituents would reward them for sticking up for their interests rather than
selling out….<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">… …<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">…OK, I know, Fox “News,” Breitbart, the Federalist
Society and the rest of the Right Wing Media militia would ensure that never happens.
Do you think it’s bad for them when Republicans get called RINOS and traitors
after admitting TFG lost the election? Wait until they try to buck the donor
class. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">There is literally no lie they won’t tell. I mean, look
at bullshit from Coach Tuberville:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AUtjsptwGGrtUpzSHLGgoeyYJDJQiP2juwSF0b7NX2yyHHANtB22r-eGfqsY9eGlQqfi4vk8Y9dWNM_6yw3q8l3-sgxliUqvXtvXg4GpeueXYBR32tzxlnhJqIwKTcI5FMmbOK1GmsOOFHgO6LB5V498Xpldw8Bz8buvkrAFAEPMaoTsgnpNi0_3JL8Y/s863/1278b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="863" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AUtjsptwGGrtUpzSHLGgoeyYJDJQiP2juwSF0b7NX2yyHHANtB22r-eGfqsY9eGlQqfi4vk8Y9dWNM_6yw3q8l3-sgxliUqvXtvXg4GpeueXYBR32tzxlnhJqIwKTcI5FMmbOK1GmsOOFHgO6LB5V498Xpldw8Bz8buvkrAFAEPMaoTsgnpNi0_3JL8Y/w640-h128/1278b.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I don’t even know where to begin debunking this. It is
completely untethered from reality. The most generous stretch I can fathom is he’s
blaming Democrats for losing in 2016, because without TFG paving the way for
Putin, he never steps foot in Ukraine, because he knows President Clinton and
the Americans would send everything at their disposal to Ukraine to stop him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">With Gaza, we know TFG gave Israeli defense secrets to
Putin. We know Putin in tight with Iran, who funds Hamas. So again, it’s the
Democrats’ fault for not beating TFG and keeping him from giving away national
secrets. It makes perfect sense, as long
as you’re in the Wingnut-O-Sphere. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And that also explains why it isn’t a big deal when a
presidential candidate calls for less voting and more voter prevention:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRAknM7fnRY-29aR8Rp7c7hVmlKxeA8RMuhYavBkZfUmcEWij4zTvs3BqC96L28cM4wflql9WW3CRS7KFgIru-IxKjYc_egFwQBoJRYJdG1MFxGMEu1IsQDPtDV2NizsHgNy0amzQI09krWuoxrYmZCpHacPy9fYcQNYVTZpYDjSkGjTAYllXKs4S2GMJ/s884/1278c%20TFG%20has%20votes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="884" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRAknM7fnRY-29aR8Rp7c7hVmlKxeA8RMuhYavBkZfUmcEWij4zTvs3BqC96L28cM4wflql9WW3CRS7KFgIru-IxKjYc_egFwQBoJRYJdG1MFxGMEu1IsQDPtDV2NizsHgNy0amzQI09krWuoxrYmZCpHacPy9fYcQNYVTZpYDjSkGjTAYllXKs4S2GMJ/w640-h120/1278c%20TFG%20has%20votes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Yes, he’s not even trying to get out the vote anymore, he’s
trying to get his minions to <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-suggests-supporters-undermine-next-161619303.html" title="TFG suggest supporters undermine the election">browbeat and intimidate opponents
and poll workers</a> into handing him the presidency.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>You gotta be
careful, you gotta get out there and watch those voters… You don’t have to
vote, don’t worry about voting. The voting—we got plenty of votes</i>,” says
the 4-time indicted soon-to-be felon.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Where, exactly, are these votes he “has?” Where did he
get them, The International House of Votes?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>I’d like 11,800
votes please. What flavor? Georgia Peach</i>.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m telling you, if these guys get back in, we can say
goodbye to free elections, democracy, and our Constitution.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOGz_2zQ96IWX2KPqsCXuybZBdd5BEgD5zv-f5-WkNPm0SZ36TLJLSBF0zAamr9RqPN7WjLcnPMbZAcREUJSLyw4X1zX3naqpVkMZYPpO_grclLTCvFmAh2S41asJ6jMDIZrVaf7ukLvzJMtjOWl8C-PxnjLGrBxOkc6lliwZ8XVGSzaAV3efq3pDcisD/s600/1278%20Project%202025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="548" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOGz_2zQ96IWX2KPqsCXuybZBdd5BEgD5zv-f5-WkNPm0SZ36TLJLSBF0zAamr9RqPN7WjLcnPMbZAcREUJSLyw4X1zX3naqpVkMZYPpO_grclLTCvFmAh2S41asJ6jMDIZrVaf7ukLvzJMtjOWl8C-PxnjLGrBxOkc6lliwZ8XVGSzaAV3efq3pDcisD/w365-h400/1278%20Project%202025.JPG" width="365" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In coming posts, we’ll talk more about the noxious Project
2025 and its implications.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-8859744107564614802023-10-23T17:57:00.003-04:002023-10-25T16:38:51.594-04:00Still One Clown Short of a Circus<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Man, what a clown show, this Speaker’s race. It was to my
delight, last Friday, that Gym Jordan had to bow out of the race in delicious
fashion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Seems he gathered all the Republican House members down
in the bowels of the Capitol Building and had them conduct a secret ballot. The
question was whether he should continue to pursue the Speakership. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The results? There were 112 votes against him. Recall
that he was losing 20-30 Republican votes on prior “official” ballots. But in
secret, about half of the party wanted him out. HAH!</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingrl9zeW00MfOPAjLGKK_NKylgA4QF7gyg5pvVIXt1vms7dp6wfNdqtejh8yr10xHxrv2BvhFARtgvzyvnbXhTh-De4nH84f9J2eP67IWHVSb7aaJ7axbYaS39-3d2gifE01rA0T-yKhotI52wNHKO1CRGpAMDDu5qrHYF8U2YIvBfQ_9tKimfy7rQDaV/s530/1277%20Not%20Speaker.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingrl9zeW00MfOPAjLGKK_NKylgA4QF7gyg5pvVIXt1vms7dp6wfNdqtejh8yr10xHxrv2BvhFARtgvzyvnbXhTh-De4nH84f9J2eP67IWHVSb7aaJ7axbYaS39-3d2gifE01rA0T-yKhotI52wNHKO1CRGpAMDDu5qrHYF8U2YIvBfQ_9tKimfy7rQDaV/w326-h400/1277%20Not%20Speaker.jpeg" width="326" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s just too bad that these “Nay” Sayers couldn’t find
their spine in public. It would have been nice to see people standing up saying
no to harassment and bullying tactics. But I guess that’s easy for me to say. I’m
not the one getting death threats from his MAGA minions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But regardless, we’ve at least dodged this bullet. Now
there are <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/9-candidates-joined-house-speaker-race-jim-jordan-dropped-rcna121607" title="Nine new candidates for Speaker">nine more candidates</a>, <span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">(Sorry,
make that </span><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-republicans-running-speaker-195544784.html" style="font-size: 11pt;" title="One Drops Out">eight more</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">)</span></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span>and I don’t
see any better choices. It’s kind of like trying to decide whether you’d rather
have gonorrhea or chlamydia.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s also quite rich that they’re blaming the Speakership
logjam on the Democrats! Yes, their own internal squabbling is somehow the
fault of their opponents. I suppose if there were no Democrats, they could just
divide up the US Treasury amongst their rich donors, fold up shop, and call it
a day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But seriously, they think the Dems should have voted for
one of their reprehensible Representatives just to keep things moving. In the
dead-wrong direction, but moving nevertheless. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And this coming from people who wouldn’t lift a finger if
the shoe was on the other foot. If Democrats were on fire, they wouldn’t piss
on them to put it out. They truly have no self-awareness, just an innate urge
to blame Democrats for whatever they perceive to be wrong at any given time. Neither
the topic nor the principle matter, it’s always the Democrats’ fault. They
might as well put it on their campaign bumper stickers.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Update #2:</span></b> Looks like the Republicans <a href="https://mockpaperscissors.com/2023/10/25/gop-elects-their-johnson/" target="_blank">have their Speaker,</a> a true MAGAt who supports a national no-exception abortion ban, ending same-sex marriages, overturning the 2020 election, with much more to come, I'm sure. It's gonna be a bumpy year. Let's see if the Democrats can make some hay out of this.</p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Now on to something completely pointless, yet (I hope) entertaining.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">My mom has been steadily going through her things, now
that she’s moved in with my sister, following my Dad’s passing. Last week, she
wanted to show me something, a birthday card I sent her in, I’d say, the early
2010s. (I should have put a date on it.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">When getting cards for someone, I usually look for
something I can have fun with by tarting it up with side points and banter.
Well, this one, I’d completely forgotten about until she showed it to me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It was a birthday card written in Spanish. Once I saw it,
I remembered standing at the card rack thinking I could make something out of
it, like providing a faux translation. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I have, in fact, taken four years of high school and
college Spanish, so I could probably get pretty close with a legit translation,
but where’s the fun in that? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So, this is what she received: (Click to embiggen.)</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXQhYpoGeve_XWceK8EofYAyDBQuM_PzU5aVB75HYMV3xQQGjqBl4S9dVzWVBEBOAGwhT6lm1Zm5NQAQoyz-B_c-_pQRlsIrhTGsaU8XpKRZtBp0yUSbItkrFd84yDnB2u7SoR0fd1t9381-MEPrb2wRXqrkZiOnFiy3vC67yjPi24HYavUHZBZtdYSVf/s1060/1277%20Mom%20Bday%20Card.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1060" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXQhYpoGeve_XWceK8EofYAyDBQuM_PzU5aVB75HYMV3xQQGjqBl4S9dVzWVBEBOAGwhT6lm1Zm5NQAQoyz-B_c-_pQRlsIrhTGsaU8XpKRZtBp0yUSbItkrFd84yDnB2u7SoR0fd1t9381-MEPrb2wRXqrkZiOnFiy3vC67yjPi24HYavUHZBZtdYSVf/w640-h432/1277%20Mom%20Bday%20Card.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">It’s a wonder she still speaks to me.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This was on the back:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmP0il8IlKQoeoEJiM2qL2z0DK_Ov_M7HJLH_E6xsIyH6uvWhfL3xfEuaqA4RqbsW9aRnfN7EiUMSiX082OJ0hfnnndfcBSUGSmCniO9rYxe21CBmnw7_8kwO1FJXVtrSj9u9Sa1BePJIpMLoJ7WpytSSxt39s1hkevZEkyaGDExAcZd-daUAzIMHoQRQ/s343/1277%20Mom%20Bday%20Card%20back.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="343" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmP0il8IlKQoeoEJiM2qL2z0DK_Ov_M7HJLH_E6xsIyH6uvWhfL3xfEuaqA4RqbsW9aRnfN7EiUMSiX082OJ0hfnnndfcBSUGSmCniO9rYxe21CBmnw7_8kwO1FJXVtrSj9u9Sa1BePJIpMLoJ7WpytSSxt39s1hkevZEkyaGDExAcZd-daUAzIMHoQRQ/w400-h299/1277%20Mom%20Bday%20Card%20back.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And now, a word from my brother’s cat:<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DjhfXZv853jPMHAMdDB8v0vQZ9f3Nkoy0ahANUFogKE3MgnM-8ioJAz7BqMfgo_I8oankGsGNaNe7EGAW6FAVmJxPTuw6zAGRljY2RhDRW0m7QEOM3WxUyYbJcKBhkXfVzUzw4P0irD5kF_v0py-GmZB-CjnxXbHlwGwDmPAtq_pFC-Y6cRHqOfwVa2z/s605/1277%20Just%20Mew%20It.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="454" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DjhfXZv853jPMHAMdDB8v0vQZ9f3Nkoy0ahANUFogKE3MgnM-8ioJAz7BqMfgo_I8oankGsGNaNe7EGAW6FAVmJxPTuw6zAGRljY2RhDRW0m7QEOM3WxUyYbJcKBhkXfVzUzw4P0irD5kF_v0py-GmZB-CjnxXbHlwGwDmPAtq_pFC-Y6cRHqOfwVa2z/w480-h640/1277%20Just%20Mew%20It.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-6877651437451596282023-10-16T17:56:00.005-04:002023-10-16T17:56:58.027-04:00Finding New Speakers<p class="MsoNoSpacing">We still don’t have a Speaker of the House, which is a
mixed blessing. Given the majority makeup of The House, at least they can’t do
any more damage or hold necessary legislation hostage. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Steve Scalise was the initial candidate put forth by the
Republicans, but after two days of “negotiating,” he learned that he had no
shot at 217 votes, so he dropped out. I heard some withheld support because he’s
fighting a blood cancer diagnosis. It’s apparently treatable, but the GOP
treats their own people just as disgustingly as they do their opponents. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">That left Gym Jordan to pick up the mantel. Sigh… Gym
freakin’ Jordan. <a href="https://darwinfish2.blogspot.com/2023/10/i-see-naked-people.html" title="Dfish2 - I See Naked People">As I mentioned last week</a>, I just can’t
stand the guy. He inherits the same problem Scalise had; a portion of his party
that wants no part of him. And with the slimness of their majority in The
House, a portion of any size is one they can’t omit.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So in keeping with his character, Jordan and his allies in
Congress and on Fox “News” began a campaign of browbeating and threatening
fellow Republicans who are withholding their votes from him. Jordan is one of
those guys, as the saying goes, whose only weapon is a hammer, so he sees every
obstacle as a nail.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Luckily, there seem to be people who don’t play that
shit, so who knows what’s going to happen to his Speakership opportunity. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Maybe, and that’s with a big M, some moderate Republicans
can work something out with the Democrats and install some kind of sanity to
House leadership. It’s such a low bar when you’re really just looking for
someone who isn’t batshit crazy. I’m not sure if there are many out there, who
are impervious to the MAGA forces. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Republicans and Democrats are so far apart on basic
issues right now, that I don’t see how they’re going to find common ground on <i>anything</i>. But I’m glad they’re trying because
I am NOT looking forward to another year of clown shoes investigations and
circus acts. Anybody would be better than Jordan.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I probably ought to say something about the Israel/Hamas situation.
But I really don’t want to. Other people are far more astute regarding the
history and the details than I am. I don’t claim to know any more than any
other schlub sitting at the bar.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Things are bad and they’re about to get much worse. I
hope Israel’s ground invasion can obliterate Hamas forces and free any hostages
left alive, but I also hope they do so with minimal damage to civilian lives. I
do realize that’s basically impossible… Hamas embeds themselves among civilians
as a deterrent to such retaliation. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But when you take on one of the most militarily capable
countries on the planet, blow a hole in their border wall, rape, kill, torture,
and kidnap their civilians, there will be repercussions. They’re not
just going to let that go. A world of hurt is about to rain on some truly evil
people, as well as people whose primary concern is to put food on the table. They
probably should have thought some more about it before voting to put monsters
in charge of their region.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So… I hope it’s over soon. I’m not counting on it, but I
hope nevertheless.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIfh4t_xBbGfsU38Aavrxkeocs1RbCVcNuNdg2Q4VX2zFCMmVtUEmp0C3PJh0jFhjckoPZo6HkfPLUVDfZxtm3Pf-KyAzHm3WQZu_WB5oTZY7V0dNQXFvjmuWWcsFA-kqKbPzLc9JvOM6b1xMlsgo1lc8VEZ6N3ButiVzWtceyE5KFJSWvDawS1xTJbQy/s475/1276%20Wars%20ar%20Bad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="475" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIfh4t_xBbGfsU38Aavrxkeocs1RbCVcNuNdg2Q4VX2zFCMmVtUEmp0C3PJh0jFhjckoPZo6HkfPLUVDfZxtm3Pf-KyAzHm3WQZu_WB5oTZY7V0dNQXFvjmuWWcsFA-kqKbPzLc9JvOM6b1xMlsgo1lc8VEZ6N3ButiVzWtceyE5KFJSWvDawS1xTJbQy/w400-h283/1276%20Wars%20ar%20Bad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">That’s all I’ve got, M'kay.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-34640537203982591482023-10-09T16:52:00.001-04:002023-11-06T15:31:16.292-05:00I See Naked People<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m not finding a lot of current events this week to
which I think I can add anything of value. The big bomb last week was the
ousting of Speaker McCarthy and the subsequent clown show that has followed
ever since. It seems that Matt Gaetz, the catalyst for the big move, had no idea what was to come next after achieving his goal of unspeakering the
Speaker. As several have pointed out (before I could get to it), it looked a
lot like this:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4_ZGeYyxivUn33Iqe1o1eYNmGb3EKBUEfWL9Q5xeE47A6PFPy0rpRw4D2P7fKVKzY_w53jcUuoJ2nJkek6DQnOKffSQU0Jhqsqhi9wHDoMjouR0qhiXEkA9v0Q7Ar1wTxbyYb9kUXAlEfQi0Ar8IbfKFzhbwJRm9tM9GUF-DL4vf72DyAgCqXG15QhbX/s521/1275%20No%20Plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4_ZGeYyxivUn33Iqe1o1eYNmGb3EKBUEfWL9Q5xeE47A6PFPy0rpRw4D2P7fKVKzY_w53jcUuoJ2nJkek6DQnOKffSQU0Jhqsqhi9wHDoMjouR0qhiXEkA9v0Q7Ar1wTxbyYb9kUXAlEfQi0Ar8IbfKFzhbwJRm9tM9GUF-DL4vf72DyAgCqXG15QhbX/s16000/1275%20No%20Plan.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">For the next Speaker, TFG has put his considerable weight
behind Gym Jordan, a loathsome individual who’s best known for ignoring reports
of molestation from the college wrestlers under his tutelage and for being the
House’s greatest suck-up to the deposed president. The guy just rubs me the
wrong way… he reminds me of the prototypical back-slapping frat boy, the kind
that proclaims himself an “alpha male,” because merely acting like a giant
douche all the time isn’t getting him enough attention. He is the walking
personification of bluster over substance.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Anyway, that’s all I have to say about that… so how to
fill up the rest of the day’s post?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I used to write a good bit about TV and broadcasting, but
it’s been a while.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m still a cable guy… I don’t like all the streaming
business. My cable package has more than enough content and channels to keep me
occupied. There’s always <i>something</i> on
I can watch. Although it has been a bit more challenging throughout the writers
and actors strikes. But it did afford me the opportunity to try out some shows
I’d heard about but never had the chance to actually watch.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’ve never been a huge “reality” TV fan. I’m mostly a fan
of the Big Three of network broadcast: Survivor, Big Brother, and Amazing Race,
pretty much since they started. Then a few months back, I recorded a few
episodes of Naked and Afraid, just to see what it was all about. I had read
before that they pixilated all the naughty bits, so I kinda wondered what the
point was. I mean, if you’re gonna go on TV naked, be naked! Put the show on
HBO and do it up!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So yes, they do pixilate boobs and crotches. Butts seem
to be OK, as long as no one is bending over. They still blur out the old
red-eye and shots of the old under-carriage.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The show features participants with all kinds of body
types. Some dudes are buff and some women are smokin’ hot. Other times they
have big barrel-shaped dudes with their droopy little asses and women who look
like they’re one Whitman’s Sampler away from a massive heart attack. Or they
have so little meat on their bodies you wonder how they’ll ever be able to
survive the cold overnight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The idea is that they send a man and a woman out into a
wilderness of some kind, African savannah, Amazon rain forest, Florida
Everglades, deserted islands, and so on. Aside from not having clothes, they
get to choose one item to take, usually a machete/axe/big-ass knife, a fire
starter (flint device), rope, or netting. Sometimes the show gives them a metal
pot, to boil and purify water. And that’s it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Unlike Survivor, in the standard show, there are no
challenges or rewards… it’s just, “<i>Gimme
your clothes, here’s your items, see you in 21 days</i>. <i>Go survive</i>.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They also get a burlap bag with a strap, so it can be
worn over the shoulder. They use it not only to carry their meager supplies,
but for transporting small food items that the forage or catch. The bag is
usually good cover for their privates too. I think that was a production
decision, so that they can save on their pixilation budget.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">After watching a few episodes, the naked part of it kind
of falls away. You just get used to it and begin to identify with just how
vulnerable these people are and how little they have to protect themselves from insects, animals, and the
elements.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In most cases, the participants are survivalists in one
way or another. And by “survivalists,” I don’t mean wingnuts who hoard canned
goods, firearms and ammo in their bomb shelters. I mean people who have learned
how to live directly off the land, without even 18<sup>th</sup> century
conveniences. There are a lot of ex-military and law enforcement, but also
endurance athletes, hunters, extreme campers, and nature lovers... people who
know how to build shelters, build fire from scratch, forage for food among
native flora. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The terrain is unforgiving. The bugs alone would send me
running for the rescue truck on Day One. Sometimes people get bit up so bad it
looks like the world’s worst case of measles. Nights get surprisingly cold,
even in desert locations. 40-50 degree temperature swings are common, leaving
even married people with little choice but to snuggle up with their partners
for warmth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">On the other hand, the production plays up the animal
dangers a great deal. I know there are big, scary, dangerous critters out
there, but they keep rolling what looks like stock footage, to keep the images
in front of the viewers’ eyes. It’s like”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>What was that
sound? Was it a lion?</i>”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Cut to a shot of a lion strolling by… it could have been
from that day, or a week ago. You rarely see the participant and the beast in
the same shot. So I know they take some liberties. But that’s not to say the danger
isn’t out there. The participants find big cat or bear tracks outside their
shelters all the time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I don't underestimate the sound of a big animal close by. I was at a zoo once and heard a lion roar. Even from about 50 feet away, the sound reverberated in my bones. I had never felt so insignificant in my life, so I can only imagine the effect on someone that doesn't have iron bars between themselves and something that could swat the mouth off their face.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">So, the participants are dropped off, they get naked,
then go to a pre-arranged spot to meet their partner. That’s always awkward,
but entertainingly so. They use a map to navigate through various perils to
find a place near water, to make camp.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In Africa, they make something that’s called a “boma.”
That’s where they find a clearing near some trees, and pile up thorn bushes
(with which Africa seems to be covered) in a circle, for protection against all
but the most determined predators. Inside the circle, they can make any number
of different kinds of shelters, depending on their expertise. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Other locations use platforms to get up off the jungle
ground, away from bugs and snakes. Sometimes they do a lean-to, other times
they practically build a small house, with four walls and a roof. You
definitely need a roof because it always seems to pour down rain at night. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Then they have to make fire, for night protection and to
purify the local water. Sometimes, when the fire is not forthcoming and someone
is wracked with thirst, they drink straight from a stream. In most cases, they
later become ill, often having to be pulled from the game.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s funny with some of the people coming in who say they’re
experts with making fire from scratch, so they don’t bring a Firestarter. Making
fire with a made-in-the-wilderness “bow drill” always turns out to be a much greater ordeal
than they expect, especially in humid places like rain forests.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHmarmatJbrdqX5BspKEHBEpX0irYX1-qXRZoyqDF0_TOebgBKaIZhhlNkaRK_9kkC_CEbaP9p8erjtLu4GYD-JeYH_5IXRAfnwdEEKfIH1aOV5DjCmFr4wHHvavVUvLD4GVEI1TDEaM5_jkhkwnvqryRGWgIW8PMH0GkRIzoU8udo0he988TDO4LVfzm/s600/1275%20Bow%20Drill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHmarmatJbrdqX5BspKEHBEpX0irYX1-qXRZoyqDF0_TOebgBKaIZhhlNkaRK_9kkC_CEbaP9p8erjtLu4GYD-JeYH_5IXRAfnwdEEKfIH1aOV5DjCmFr4wHHvavVUvLD4GVEI1TDEaM5_jkhkwnvqryRGWgIW8PMH0GkRIzoU8udo0he988TDO4LVfzm/s16000/1275%20Bow%20Drill.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is a bow drill, which many participants use to make fire. You pull the bow back and forth to spin the rod, whose friction with the base will make an ember (maybe), which you take and put in a nest of wispy kindling. By blowing on the ember, you hope to catch the rest of the kindling and then build up into a sustainable fire.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">So many people start the show by talking about how they’re
going to dominate and thrive. These are usually the people who tap out and quit
in the first week. Mother Nature is a great humbler.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">After shelter and fire/water, they eventually turn to
finding food. That’s where the characteristics of the terrain come into play.
Sometimes there’s plenty of game to hunt, or fish to catch, sometimes not.
Sometimes the forest is rife with coconuts and fruit, sometimes not. Even the
most experienced hunters often come up empty, because they don’t have their gun
or bow and arrow. People who know how to make snares or deadfall traps
sometimes can come up with some critters like rats, groundhogs, or other small
game.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And that’s it… they try to keep their fire going, stay
hydrated and out of the elements, and find food where they can, for 21 days.
The last day entails a long hike to their extraction site, which is completely
draining, because they are often at their weakest point.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The interpersonal relationships are always interesting because
they show likes to cast for conflict, like putting the avid hunter with the
tree hugging hippy, or the Southern chauvinist who thinks the man needs to
lead, with an ex-military woman, who’s used to giving her own orders. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">As far as the “battle of the sexes” goes, men and women
seem to tap out with the same frequency. And like I said, it always seems to be
the self-proclaimed badass who taps out early, leaving his female partner to
fend for herself for the rest of the time. (Which she often does.) But I prefer
to see the two participants successfully work together. You have to figure, once
you go through an experience like this with someone, you’ve got a friend for
life. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I sit in amazement at what I see some of these folks do
and how much they know. I can’t believe anyone would sign up to go through such
a trial by fire (and rain). So while I think I’m learning a lot about how to
survive in the wild, there is zero chance I would ever try such a thing myself.
My version of surviving in the wild is staying at a 2-star hotel. I’ll take the
bedbugs and a lousy bar over the spiders, snakes, mosquitos and sand flies.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Other iterations of the show feature veterans coming back
in groups to engage in longer stays, for 40 or 60 days. When they stay that
long, they are often given bows and arrows, especially in Africa, which is
pretty much of a necessity. In other locales, they can be given fish hooks or
giant hooks to catch gators or caiman. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m not one for hunting, ever, but I do understand
situations where you either kill, or you don’t eat. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But some of these people are truly amazing at what they
do, with deep knowledge of their environment and how to do just about anything.
I even saw one woman take the fat out of an alligator they killed, and make
soap with it. And that fits with the vibe, because any time something is
killed, the participants use almost everything. The meat they can’t eat right
away gets smoked and dried into jerky, the pelts get used for clothing, or cut
up into shoes, for protection against thorns and jagged rocks. The
inventiveness fascinates me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Naked and Afraid runs on the Discovery channel on
Sundays, usually in an all-day marathon. Sometimes they also run on Animal
Planet.</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329507352453931374.post-71792348152313798412023-10-02T16:46:00.002-04:002023-10-04T09:11:14.550-04:00In Summary<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It was nice to see sanity reign for once with one of
these TFG trials when last week the court in New York found him guilty via
summary judgment. (Meaning based on the initial facts presented, without going
through a trial.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. For these
types of crimes, it’s black and white. Either he did inflate his real estate
valuations for loans and deflate the same properties for taxes, or he didn’t. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Since the case was already this far, you know the
prosecution has their ducks in a row or they wouldn’t have brought charges
against such a high-profile target. We already know that they have all the
documents, from previous subpoenas on his company and offices. You know what
they say about shooting at the king.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m thinking it was like, “<i>Here’s the paperwork where Trump Tower was valued at two bajillion
dollars. There’s the defendant’s signature. Now here on that year’s tax forms,
the valuation is half a bajillion. There’s his signature again. Case closed</i>.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I mean, how does the defense even argue against that? They
have the signed documents, there is zero wiggle room. I supposed “diminished
capacity” could be an argument, but I doubt the defendant would let that be
made public. The defense did offer up some lame arguments and the judge was so
offended, that he bounced them out immediately as nonsense and is adding court
costs to the defendant’s tab, just for wasting his time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Of course, TFG and his disciples are sure to rail against
being deprived of a trial that was sure to exonerate him and this is further
proof that the system is rigged. (Against rich White guys? That IS rich.) He
knows that his only chance is to seat a jury that has some MAGAs on it, who
will vote to acquit no matter how high the evidence is stacked.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">But in this country, the evidence is supposed to lead the
way to a conviction and that’s what happened here. To not see the obvious trail
of evidence is to deny reality and live in an alternate dimension, which is
unfortunately true of the MAGA cult.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The documents case in Florida would also be ripe for
summary judgment because they’re just as cut and dried as the fraud case.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Q: Are these docs considered confidential or top secret?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">A: Yes.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Q: Are they on a Trump property?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">A: Yes.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Q: Was the defendant asked to return them?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">A: Yes.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Q: Did he?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: red;">A: No.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Guilty. End of story.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Unfortunately, the judge in this matter, the Trump plant
Judge Cannon, will do everything in her power to keep this case from coming to
a guilty verdict, via delaying, diversions, time-consuming side issues, and the
like. She can keep the prosecutors running in circles for a good long time before
they can get to anything of consequence. And then as a last resort, she can
make rulings that will be sure to get appealed, which also eats up the clock. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m glad that Congress, such as it is, was able to avoid
a shutdown this weekend, but once again, they didn’t really solve anything,
they just kicked the problem further down the calendar. Speaker McCarthy is
truly between a rock and a hard place. His party is split enough that he needs
the wingnut faction to do anything, and they won’t unless they get concessions
that have zero chance in the Senate or in the Oval Office. So when he
absolutely needs something done, he’s forced to work with the Democrats, which
only enrages the wingnuts all the more.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Rep. Gaetz is already calling for a vote to remove
McCarthy as speaker. This puts the Speaker in another bind. In order to keep
his job, assuming the wingnut brigade is united, he’ll need help from the
Democrats to keep his job, and they won’t do it for nothing, I’m sure. And that
would completely change the atmosphere in the House, with a Republican Speaker
in alliance with the Democratic minority. Strange bedfellows indeed. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’ve also heard that McCarthy is considering ousting Rep.
Gaetz from his seat. That would be rich, indeed. I guess that’s what it takes for Republicans
to crack down on their own people… when they threaten other Republicans. They’re
still not doing anything about Rep. Santos, the poster boy for Pinocchio. In
fact:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52AAcYNuPNpR0ytBbEjj3AN_z476SXSCeYtdp4G2StEd4mMWIcCReDIHv32q1TZPRARkPjhNaE246puVbbejKbJrDKgysmwS45GLhyphenhypheniEe8w7qqFcEhGdko0Pwzig0iKf-zv82-8dQe0weWjeNajXunIwW4g6ZKNPUcLJMo1a446wzQtvHxSLIehS0XKvG/s890/1273%20Speaker%20Problems.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="890" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52AAcYNuPNpR0ytBbEjj3AN_z476SXSCeYtdp4G2StEd4mMWIcCReDIHv32q1TZPRARkPjhNaE246puVbbejKbJrDKgysmwS45GLhyphenhypheniEe8w7qqFcEhGdko0Pwzig0iKf-zv82-8dQe0weWjeNajXunIwW4g6ZKNPUcLJMo1a446wzQtvHxSLIehS0XKvG/w640-h122/1273%20Speaker%20Problems.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Maybe McCarthy shouldn’t have taken that particular swing,
with his own obvious skeletons hanging out of his closet. Not that he should be
piping up on Senate business in the first place. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Clean your own House, Mr. Speaker!</p>bluzdudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991272670722362652noreply@blogger.com4