Saturday, November 12, 2011
Supporting the troops ...
This was where the Mittster stood yesterday. He'll probably flip-flop to the opposite tomorrow, but this should disqualify him from ever being President:
Update:
Krugman weighs in.
...
Romney suggests possibility of using a voucher-type system for health care for vets to allow them to use private insurance instead.
...
Update:
Krugman weighs in.
Stimulus!
Subtitle: Our Tax Dollars At Work!
I couldn't resist this. This is 3 blocks from my house, on Old Brockway Road which is a main road around here.
What this is, is a federally funded bus stop. It's putting guys to work. Well, one guy just then. No point in taking a video of it, he barely moved. Heh.
The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act of 2009 is the proper name for "the stimulus". These signs are all over the place. They shoulda just put "The Stimulus" on it because the teabaggers don't know the actual name of the Act and it's easy for F**Noise and the baggermeisters to convince them the stimulus isn't working.
This is not a waste of money. If you think it is, please come one minute after the bus leaves and wait 59 minutes for the next one in a snowstorm. Just fer grins, bring five kids and a coupla bags of groceries. Then tell me what you think.
Click to embiggen
I couldn't resist this. This is 3 blocks from my house, on Old Brockway Road which is a main road around here.
What this is, is a federally funded bus stop. It's putting guys to work. Well, one guy just then. No point in taking a video of it, he barely moved. Heh.
The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act of 2009 is the proper name for "the stimulus". These signs are all over the place. They shoulda just put "The Stimulus" on it because the teabaggers don't know the actual name of the Act and it's easy for F**Noise and the baggermeisters to convince them the stimulus isn't working.
This is not a waste of money. If you think it is, please come one minute after the bus leaves and wait 59 minutes for the next one in a snowstorm. Just fer grins, bring five kids and a coupla bags of groceries. Then tell me what you think.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Just in case ...
Somebody thought The Founders would have frowned on "Obamacare", my hero, President John Adams, had the idea 200-odd years ago:
Fuck the GOP.
Many people who oppose the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”, also known as ‘Obamacare’, say the Founding Fathers wouldn’t have wanted the Government to make health insurance mandatory for private employees.
This is simply not true. In 1798, under 2nd President and Founding Father John Adams, the United States passed a law requiring mandatory health insurance for any private employees working on Maritime vessels. The bill was called “An Act for The Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen”
...
Fuck the GOP.
Quote of the Day
Bill Maher off the Facebook:
I used to confuse U Penn and Penn State, now I have it: U Penn is private, Penn State is where you can anally rape ten year old boys.
Veterans Day
Today, we remember those who have served this country and those who still are, be they in a war zone, at one of our bases around the world or in the States, and on ships at sea.
We hope the days of using them for something other than the defense of our nation are a thing of the past. Our vets are not numbers on a force strength chart. They are men and women with lives, families, hopes, and dreams.
Thank you.
We hope the days of using them for something other than the defense of our nation are a thing of the past. Our vets are not numbers on a force strength chart. They are men and women with lives, families, hopes, and dreams.
Thank you.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Personhood
I tried thanking YubaNet for this three times but kept getting that goddam "http:blogger.gif" crap buried in the 'toon code. Fuck it.
Three Things from Rick Perry About Last Night
More Comedy Gold
I have taken to wearing my motorcycle kidney belt to try and keep my sides from splitting. I May have to get another one to put on over it.
Ah, this'll go away when we're stuck with just Willard. Pathetic ain't funny. Damn.
Okay, lookit, there are three things I forgot to mention last night.
Firstly, you should never drink before a debate. Right after that danged thing was over I had to stick my head in the porcelain throne and that lawn gnome Ron Paul had to hold my hair. This morning my head hurts like it was hit with a hammer in one of those movies with Larry, Curly, and… Larry, Curly, and what's the other one? Ah, shit.
I have taken to wearing my motorcycle kidney belt to try and keep my sides from splitting. I May have to get another one to put on over it.
Ah, this'll go away when we're stuck with just Willard. Pathetic ain't funny. Damn.
Hell Freezes Over
Newt Gingrich Calls For Reinstating Glass-Steagall, Admits Deregulating The Banking Industry Was A Mistake
Heh. Fucker sees a shot at it what with Pizza Guy swirling the drain. Kinda tells the tale of the Repug field when telling the truth is a desperation move.
Note to Neut: Nobody gives a shit what you say.
Ice skating, anyone?
You might be a conservative if...
Addicting Info
More.
7: You believe Bill Clinton was responsible for Osama bin Laden’s escape ten years ago, but thankfully George W. Bush caught up with him and killed him in Pakistan.
15: You believe gays are anti-American, because their lifestyle is a threat to the children… unless they’re married to Tea Party-backed presidential candidates from Minnesota.
16: You strongly defend individual freedom, but that freedom doesn’t include a woman’s right to decide her own healthcare needs.
More.
I hate to say ...
"I told you so", but I told you so:
...
Seriously, with Italian 10-years now well above 7 percent, we’re now in territory where all the vicious circles get into gear — and European leaders seem like deer caught in the headlights. And as Martin Wolf says today, the unthinkable — a euro breakup — has become all too thinkable:
...
Good read ...
Ted Frier at TGUAR:
...
When an entire society lets wishful thinking and inflated dreams get the better of it, that society will behave like an army of Sisyphuses pushing that rock up that hill as it liquidates everything it owns - literally betting the farm - trying to cash in on an asset whose value only seems to be endlessly ascending.
But just as it took an entire society to push that boulder up that hill, if we are to prevent the society from fracturing over the destruction to savings, jobs and lives that these speculative manias can cause, then the wounds to all members of society must be taken into account once that rock begins to roll back down the hill, as it inevitably must.
Proof we are failing at this important task is that we're not heeding the good advice of people like Lauri Goodman's but are instead pointlessly picking fights among ourselves over distractions like envy, greed and divisive "class warfare." And once again, the worst offenders are mostly on the right.
...
Marine Corps Birthday
Today, 10 November 2011, is the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. I'm not much of a writer, but six years ago I wrote what I consider one of my best. It's a little dated now and I could update it easily, but I'm not going to. I don't think it would improve it. I've read it over many times and I still get a little misty when I do. Please go read The Birthday Ball.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Courts-martial at the very least. Personally, some people need to get put up against the wall:
Addendum:
And, if you're thinking I'm making a bit too much of this, we had them sift through a landfill on Staten Island to find the remains of the victims of September 11th in the rubble of WTC. Don't we owe our troops at least that much dignity?
The Dover Air Force Base mortuary for years disposed of portions of troops’ remains by cremating them and dumping the ashes in a Virginia landfill, a practice that officials have since abandoned in favor of burial at sea.
The Dover, Del., mortuary, the main point of entry for the nation’s war dead and the target of federal investigations of alleged mishandling of remains, engaged in the practice from 2003 to 2008, according to Air Force officials. The manner of disposal was not disclosed to relatives of fallen service members.
...
Addendum:
And, if you're thinking I'm making a bit too much of this, we had them sift through a landfill on Staten Island to find the remains of the victims of September 11th in the rubble of WTC. Don't we owe our troops at least that much dignity?
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Really?
What the fuck goes on out in Oakland?
Have these idiots forgotten what they're protesting? Fucking morons.
Occupy Oakland has voted to deposit $20,000 with Wells Fargo Bank -- just days after Occupy protesters shattered windows of one of the bank's downtown Oakland branches during the group's attempt to stage a general strike in the embattled East Bay city.
The decision was posted at Occupy Oakland's site for its general assembly. According to the link, the group made the decision to deposit the $20,000 with Wells at a meeting on Monday night.
Wells Fargo quickly trumpeted the decision.
...
Have these idiots forgotten what they're protesting? Fucking morons.
Thanks to DCblogger for the link.
No more excuses, ladies. It's good for you!
Stole this from my friend Robin, the daughter of another friend, on Facebook.
I wonder if "Honest, baby, it's the best thing you can do for yourself!" will catch on...
I wonder if "Honest, baby, it's the best thing you can do for yourself!" will catch on...
Quote of the Day II
Following up on Fixer's post, Toure (FF> to 4:25) on some white men's reaction to Cain on The Last Word :
"[...] He keeps going after our women. We don't like that."
Mmmmm. Bad Mandingo*, bad, bad.
*I was going after a book/movie reference. Holy crap! I must lead a sheltered life...
Update:
One thing we can thank Cain for is that his every word, and particularly his groping scandal, has opened up opportunities for lotsa black commentators, pundits, etc. They can tell it like it is, where F**Noise and the other wingnut gasbags would holler "racist!" at the top of their not inconsiderable lungs if a white man said the same thing.
"[...] He keeps going after our women. We don't like that."
Mmmmm. Bad Mandingo*, bad, bad.
*I was going after a book/movie reference. Holy crap! I must lead a sheltered life...
Update:
One thing we can thank Cain for is that his every word, and particularly his groping scandal, has opened up opportunities for lotsa black commentators, pundits, etc. They can tell it like it is, where F**Noise and the other wingnut gasbags would holler "racist!" at the top of their not inconsiderable lungs if a white man said the same thing.
Real homophobes don't Google
If it's Wednesday, it must be Morford needling homophobes.
Enjoy. Unless that's too gay...
I see you there, mumbling angrily at how New York has had legal gay marriage for four whole months and so far, no hellfire, chaos, no petrified Christian children melting into goo in the streets. I see you horrified at how seven other states and 10 countries are thriving happily with gay marriage, God apparently not really giving the slightest damn about how anyone expresses their consensual, reverential, wholehearted love, so long as they just do.
Oh dear. Bad news, lovebug. It seems Time Warner owns the broadcast rights to every single NASCAR race nationwide. Time Warner! Dude! They love gays! As if that weren't bad enough, they also own NASCAR.com. WTF?
Not sure what that means? It's OK. You can Google it.
Enjoy. Unless that's too gay...
Quote of the Day
Fez on Kasich:
...
You sir are a Republican, "spending time to reflect" is not in your nature. Cutting & pasting FoxNews talking points and genuflecting to the Koch brothers yes, looking in mirror, no.
...
Yeah ...
After kicking Obama in the ass when he visited theWhite House, after lecturing Obama from the House floor,and after thumbing his nose at Obama with regard to the settlements, what else did they expect?
Some of us would argue that Bibi has no honor to defend.
Well, you knew this was coming. Right-wingers and neocons were going to go ballistic that Barack Obama did not properly rush to defend the honor of Benjamin Netanyahu, a man who has gone out of his way to insult Obama at virtually every opportunity.
...
Some of us would argue that Bibi has no honor to defend.
PSA
And for all those who'd rather follow us on the Facebook, I've finally gotten off my ass and got that page up and running again. All the blog posts will be up there as well as other shit I find on the FB.
Alternate Brain on Facebook
Go there and "like" us.
Alternate Brain on Facebook
Go there and "like" us.
See, Hermie ...
The minute a white woman came forward, let alone 2 now, your goober base is running from you like rodents from Titanic:
By the end of next week it'll be "Herman who?"
...
Some backstory: During the early days of Cain’s campaign, when his lack of resources and serious press coverage denied him the name ID of other candidates running, his campaign loved flagging the Gallup intensity score, which showed Cain miles ahead of his rivals when it came to positive feelings among Republicans who knew him. Here’s an example of what that sounded like back in May, when pretty much no one knew who Cain was (but the few that did really, really liked him.)
The ratio of people who really liked Cain to those who disliked him basically held (with a couple dips) as he grew in name ID, eventually becoming the national frontrunner and a household name.
On Tuesday, Gallup reported Cain’s positive intensity score is taking a tumble:
...
By the end of next week it'll be "Herman who?"
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Thoughts on Pizza Guy's "job interview" technique
I thought "ya look hot in that dress" from a boss to an employee was bad enough, but when I heard Ms. Bialek's description of Hermie's actions I thought to myself, "Holy shit, that's not sexual harassment, that's sexual assault!"
Then, through the mists of time came to me the realization that I, too, had conducted exactly the same kind of "job interview" in another lifetime.
Indeed, the exact same hand-up-the-skirt and friendly hand-behind-the-head-gentle-pull-query-"blow job?" followed by a rough equivalent of "you're lookin' for a job, right?" swayve and deboner technique.
Worked like a charm. Every time. Job enthusiastically accepted and carried out in a professional and businesslike manner. All parties satisfied. Win-win!
The difference is that I didn't do it as CEO of a big lobbying firm. I did it as a 19-year-old kid Marine in dives and brothels in far-flung areas of the world from Tijuana to Barbados to Valencia, Spain. Defending our liberty, you know.
I just had the humanitarian, er, urge as a rich American to help out the local economy. Selfless to a fault. Coupla months on a ship fulla other horny young bastards'll bring out the best in a fellow.
A REAL rich American with power over others should be put in the stocks for it.
Then, through the mists of time came to me the realization that I, too, had conducted exactly the same kind of "job interview" in another lifetime.
Indeed, the exact same hand-up-the-skirt and friendly hand-behind-the-head-gentle-pull-query-"blow job?" followed by a rough equivalent of "you're lookin' for a job, right?" swayve and deboner technique.
Worked like a charm. Every time. Job enthusiastically accepted and carried out in a professional and businesslike manner. All parties satisfied. Win-win!
The difference is that I didn't do it as CEO of a big lobbying firm. I did it as a 19-year-old kid Marine in dives and brothels in far-flung areas of the world from Tijuana to Barbados to Valencia, Spain. Defending our liberty, you know.
I just had the humanitarian, er, urge as a rich American to help out the local economy. Selfless to a fault. Coupla months on a ship fulla other horny young bastards'll bring out the best in a fellow.
A REAL rich American with power over others should be put in the stocks for it.
This Is What Defeat Looks Like
A 'recommended read' Tomgram. A look back and forward.
Go.
How about a moment of silence for the passing of the American Dream? M.R.I.C. (May it rest in carnage.)
No, I’m not talking about the old dream of opportunity that involved homeownership, a better job than your parents had, a decent pension, and all the rest of the package that’s so yesterday, so underwater, so OWS. I’m talking about a far more recent dream, a truly audacious one that’s similarly gone with the wind.
I’m talking about George W. Bush’s American Dream. [...]
What glory! Thanks to the unparalleled power of the U.S. military, Washington would control the Greater Middle East from the Mediterranean to the Chinese border and would be beholden to no one when victory came. Great powers, phooey! They were talking about a Pax Americana on which the sun could never set. Meanwhile, there were so many other handy perks: the White House would be loosed from its constitutional bounds via a “unitary executive” and, success breeding success, a Pax Republicana would be established in the U.S. for eons to come (with the Democratic -- or as they said sneeringly, the “Democrat” -- Party playing the role of Iran and going down in a similar fashion).
Bush’s American Dream was a kind of apotheosis of this country’s global power as well as its crowning catastrophe, thanks to a crew of mad visionaries who mistook military might for global strength and acted accordingly. What they and their neocon allies had was the magic formula for turning the slow landing of a declining but still immensely powerful imperial state into a self-inflicted rout, even if who the victors are is less than clear.
Go.
Off ...
Gotta head up to the shop to service the Mrs.' car, then to the farm to pick up the winter supply of potatoes (German thing) and then to Dad-in-law's to do some maintenance (on the house, not the old man).
Later ...
Later ...
Not a big fan of Little Nicky ...
But he gets it when it comes to the Likudniks:
...
The conversation then drifted to Netanyahu, at which time Sarkozy declared: "I cannot stand him. He is a liar." According to the report, Obama replied: "You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!"
The remark was naturally meant to be said in confidence, but the two leaders' microphones were accidently left on, making the would-be private comment embarrassingly public.
...
Voting ...
First year with the new Hack-o-matic electronic machines. Seems to me a big waste of paper at the least. Lotta room for foul play too.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Vietnam war vets seize back hijacked ship
This one's just for fun! AFP via Raw Story:
Probably had to speak English to communicate with one another. Heh.
Heh. Got 'em right between the fish course and another fish course.
If those little Viet shits can do that, every nation in the world ought to be able to. Better yet, prevent the pirates from taking the ship in the first place.
Hint:
I'm down wid it.
Taiwan hailed on Monday the bravery of five Vietnamese war vets who launched a surprise assault on six armed pirates and successfully took back their vessel after it had been hijacked off East Africa.
The former Vietnam war fighters had been recruited by Taiwan to be part of a 28-man crew on the “Chin Yi Wen”, a 290-tonne vessel, along with nine Chinese, eight Filipinos and six Indonesians.
Probably had to speak English to communicate with one another. Heh.
The crew, who had been out of contact with the ship since Friday according to the foreign ministry, forced the six armed Somali pirates to jump overboard, and successfully took back control of the ship.
Liu Wan-tien, the owner of the vessel based in the southern Taiwanese city Kaohsiung, said the five Vietnamese sailors launched the surprise assault on the pirates as they were having a meal, the state Central News Agency reported.
Heh. Got 'em right between the fish course and another fish course.
If those little Viet shits can do that, every nation in the world ought to be able to. Better yet, prevent the pirates from taking the ship in the first place.
Hint:
I'm down wid it.
Headline of the Day
Mike Bloomberg's Marie Antoinette Moment
She was taller. The guillotine'll probably only scalp him. No loss there. Might haveta move the blade back toward the kneeler a little bit.
Bend over, Libya
Truthout
That's the clown who replaced General Garner at the CPA, who almost knew what he was doing, and a) only hired loyal Busheviks, none of whom had a fucking clue what they were doing, b) shitcanned the Iraqi army and sent thousands of pissed-off and armed unemployed men into the streets, and c) fired all the civil servants who ran the joint because they were Baathists so they could get a job.
Note to Libya: He'll do for you what he did to them. Probably still got Iraqi shit on his dick. Throw his worse-than-worthless ass out or you're screwed.
Look who is giving the Libyans advice on transitioning to a stable democracy: L. Paul Bremer, the administrator of the US-dominated Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004.
That's the clown who replaced General Garner at the CPA, who almost knew what he was doing, and a) only hired loyal Busheviks, none of whom had a fucking clue what they were doing, b) shitcanned the Iraqi army and sent thousands of pissed-off and armed unemployed men into the streets, and c) fired all the civil servants who ran the joint because they were Baathists so they could get a job.
Note to Libya: He'll do for you what he did to them. Probably still got Iraqi shit on his dick. Throw his worse-than-worthless ass out or you're screwed.
Oh, the irony...
Ironic Times
Harvard Accepted 9% of Applicants, McDonald’s Accepted 6%
Many of them Harvard graduates.
Mississippi to Decide If Fertilized Egg Is a Person
Like General Electric.
Homo Sapiens Discovered in Europe Earlier Than Previously Believed
Anthropologists find Greek IOU in German cave.
Huge Asteroid to Pass Very Close to Earth This Week
So close public urged to duck around 13:15GMT on Tuesday.
Dear Chuck Todd ...
Who actually gives a flying fuck what the soup of the day is in the White House, you moron?
Listen to me ...
Mr. Aravosis is starting to get squishy on the Iran thing:
You don't ignore it, you do prudent intelligence and, along with law enforcement, you keep it from spilling out.
That said, let me ask a question or five. Do you think Iran would take the chance of letting a nuke, or radioactive material, fall into the wrong hands? Seriously?
Don't you think if, heaven forbid, some mentally challenged goat-fucker set off a nuke or dirty bomb somewhere, it could be traced back to Iran? Easily. Don't you think, heaven forbid, there would be a retaliation against them that would make Hiroshima and Nagasaki look like a kid playing with a firecracker? It would happen within seconds. Do you think the state of Iran would continue to exist? Maybe as a parking lot. Don't you think their leaders know that and if they didn't before, don't you think we told them? I'm sure most of them like the fact some mentally challenged goat fuckers are looking forward to meeting Allah (useful idiots) and want to rush the process, but I'm pretty sure they aren't (for the same reasons bin Laden was hiding in a compound in Pak instead of out there fighting with his goat fuckers). They might even survive, but they wouldn't have a country to run.
... I'm sick and tired of wasting all this money on so many wars, but I don't know how we can just ignore this.
You don't ignore it, you do prudent intelligence and, along with law enforcement, you keep it from spilling out.
That said, let me ask a question or five. Do you think Iran would take the chance of letting a nuke, or radioactive material, fall into the wrong hands? Seriously?
Don't you think if, heaven forbid, some mentally challenged goat-fucker set off a nuke or dirty bomb somewhere, it could be traced back to Iran? Easily. Don't you think, heaven forbid, there would be a retaliation against them that would make Hiroshima and Nagasaki look like a kid playing with a firecracker? It would happen within seconds. Do you think the state of Iran would continue to exist? Maybe as a parking lot. Don't you think their leaders know that and if they didn't before, don't you think we told them? I'm sure most of them like the fact some mentally challenged goat fuckers are looking forward to meeting Allah (useful idiots) and want to rush the process, but I'm pretty sure they aren't (for the same reasons bin Laden was hiding in a compound in Pak instead of out there fighting with his goat fuckers). They might even survive, but they wouldn't have a country to run.
Hello, McFly?
The question is, do we want to isolate ourselves and destabilize the region we depend on for our energy?
France:
Russia:
They are, of course, talking about Israel's plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Like I said before, Israel is a sovereign nation and they can do what they want, and deal with the consequences of their actions. My problem is with us going along with it.
And just a thing. According to Dr. Krugman, solar energy (regardless of the propaganda against it) is now viable and cost effective. Maybe, just maybe, if the OPEC members saw their cash cow's "milk" dry up, we wouldn't have to give a shit about what anyone in the Middle East thinks of us. Until then, it would be prudent to distance ourselves from this folly as quickly as possible. If the powers-that-be think the Occupy protests are a pain in their collective ass, think about what their lives would be like if the American people not only couldn't afford the energy they need to survive, but actually had no way to obtain it. (See: Strait of Hormuz)
France:
...
"We will continue on this path [sanctions] because a military intervention could create a situation which completely destabilises the whole region and beyond. We have to do everything we can to avoid irreparable harm," [French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe] explained.
...
Russia:
...
For his part, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told Rossia 24 TV on Monday that a military strike would be "a grave error, with unforseeable consequences."
...
They are, of course, talking about Israel's plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Like I said before, Israel is a sovereign nation and they can do what they want, and deal with the consequences of their actions. My problem is with us going along with it.
And just a thing. According to Dr. Krugman, solar energy (regardless of the propaganda against it) is now viable and cost effective. Maybe, just maybe, if the OPEC members saw their cash cow's "milk" dry up, we wouldn't have to give a shit about what anyone in the Middle East thinks of us. Until then, it would be prudent to distance ourselves from this folly as quickly as possible. If the powers-that-be think the Occupy protests are a pain in their collective ass, think about what their lives would be like if the American people not only couldn't afford the energy they need to survive, but actually had no way to obtain it. (See: Strait of Hormuz)
Quote of the Day
Katrina vanden Heuvel:
The Mrs. gotta be at the city office today so I'm off to the train station. Later ...
... With a 9 percent approval rating, Congress has achieved the remarkable feat of making itself less popular than Wall Street.
The Mrs. gotta be at the city office today so I'm off to the train station. Later ...
From the mouths of criminals ...
You learn exactly how the system works:
It's not like we (the politically informed) didn't know this. There's a reason my dad had a box at Shea Stadium. He was a subcontractor to a lot of defense firms (Grumman, Republic Aircraft, Boeing) and he was always handing out tickets to potential customers (corporate execs and elected reps). He even was responsible for introducing a lot of Brits (Hawker-Siddeley) to baseball. Brought him a lot of business.
Hopefully, a lot of the politcally uninformed watched 60 Minutes (especially this week thanks to Andy Rooney's passing and their tribute to him) and got some inkling about what actually goes on in D.C.
Notorious former lobbyist Jack Abramoff is a free man again, after serving three and a half years in prison for corruption and fraud. In an interview aired by CBS on Sunday, he told correspondent Leslie Stahl about the tricks of his former trade.
...
“When we would become friendly with an office,” he explained, “and they were important to us, and the chief of staff was a competent person, I would say or my staff would say to him or her at some point, ‘You know, when you’re done working on the Hill, we’d very much like you to consider coming to work for us.’ Now the moment I said that to them or any of our staff said that to ‘em, that was it. We owned them.”
...
It's not like we (the politically informed) didn't know this. There's a reason my dad had a box at Shea Stadium. He was a subcontractor to a lot of defense firms (Grumman, Republic Aircraft, Boeing) and he was always handing out tickets to potential customers (corporate execs and elected reps). He even was responsible for introducing a lot of Brits (Hawker-Siddeley) to baseball. Brought him a lot of business.
Hopefully, a lot of the politcally uninformed watched 60 Minutes (especially this week thanks to Andy Rooney's passing and their tribute to him) and got some inkling about what actually goes on in D.C.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Riding season's over
The snow's here a few weeks early this year and looks like it's gonna stay.
The bike batteries are under the house where it's warm and on a trickle charger. The snowblower is at battle stations.
To get the snowblower ready for its 2d season, I figured it probably needed its valve clearances adjusted. I was right. In the process I took off the spark arrester/snow-keeper-outer (like on a boat, it goes where an air filter would on a car) and a buncha associated tin to ease access for getting the rocker cover off. Valves adjusted, tin back on, it still ran...
The first time I used the machine it ran rich like the choke wasn't coming all the way off. I've been at this long enough to know that since I'd just been working in the area I better check my work and see if after 40 years I'd finally erred (cough). I started in by taking the snow-keeper-outer off and if I hadn'ta been looking right at it I'da missed it - just when I pulled the s-k-o away from its rubber gasket, all the tin I'd had off went 'erk' and moved almost imperceptibly. Just enough to remove the bind on the choke lever that I had inadvertently installed (no extra charge. Heh.). Runs like a scalded dog now.
What, you may well ask, is a bottle of Pine-Sol doing in the picture? There's not enough Pine-Sol in the world to make that garage germ-free.
It's bear repellent. Bears won't go near that stuff, so I put some in a container and put it in the back of the pickup the night before trash pick-up day. With the bed cap unlatched even though our bear figured out how to open it. I'm not relying on her memory if she gets hungry and goes hunting.
I'm sure there'll be more winter-related stuff. Stay warm, my friends.
My garage in winter mode
Click to embiggen
The bike batteries are under the house where it's warm and on a trickle charger. The snowblower is at battle stations.
To get the snowblower ready for its 2d season, I figured it probably needed its valve clearances adjusted. I was right. In the process I took off the spark arrester/snow-keeper-outer (like on a boat, it goes where an air filter would on a car) and a buncha associated tin to ease access for getting the rocker cover off. Valves adjusted, tin back on, it still ran...
The first time I used the machine it ran rich like the choke wasn't coming all the way off. I've been at this long enough to know that since I'd just been working in the area I better check my work and see if after 40 years I'd finally erred (cough). I started in by taking the snow-keeper-outer off and if I hadn'ta been looking right at it I'da missed it - just when I pulled the s-k-o away from its rubber gasket, all the tin I'd had off went 'erk' and moved almost imperceptibly. Just enough to remove the bind on the choke lever that I had inadvertently installed (no extra charge. Heh.). Runs like a scalded dog now.
What, you may well ask, is a bottle of Pine-Sol doing in the picture? There's not enough Pine-Sol in the world to make that garage germ-free.
It's bear repellent. Bears won't go near that stuff, so I put some in a container and put it in the back of the pickup the night before trash pick-up day. With the bed cap unlatched even though our bear figured out how to open it. I'm not relying on her memory if she gets hungry and goes hunting.
I'm sure there'll be more winter-related stuff. Stay warm, my friends.
DeMint not happy: GOP field is too smart
TPM
What? None of 'em stoopid enough for ya?
Note to Jimmy DumbMint: Lower the bar of stupidity to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Jesus saw you coming and dug it 6000 years ago just for that purpose. If that ain't low enough, try the Marianas Trench.
Sen. Jim DeMint tells Washington Post columnist Marc A. Thiessen he does not plan to endorse any candidate in the GOP presidential primary contest — an endorsement that would be a big prize in the critical South Carolina primary early next year. “I want to announce that I am very unlikely to endorse a candidate in the presidential race."
What? None of 'em stoopid enough for ya?
Note to Jimmy DumbMint: Lower the bar of stupidity to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Jesus saw you coming and dug it 6000 years ago just for that purpose. If that ain't low enough, try the Marianas Trench.
The Delta of Denial
Will Durst
More.
You've heard all the buzz phrases: "Washington is not the answer, it is the problem." "The devil made both Washington and hell, but chooses to live in hell." "Washington is a cesspool." Sure, that's what they say, but once elected, they treat it like a hot tub.
[...] At least now we know what happens when the inmates take over the asylum. And the most venally ambitious of the criminally insane manage to scramble to the top.
JFK said DC combined all the charm of the North with the efficiency of the South. Not to mention the scruples of a turkey vulture overlooking a yard full of wounded bunnies. It's a town where you always have to worry that your best friend is wearing a wire. Where "cynical" has been raised to an art form. Imagine the Kardashians as elderly white guys with double the sense of entitlement.
More.
Quote of the Day
Digby:
Because they really are "Aunt Pittypats". Ain't a superhero in the bunch.
...
But get ready for more of this. The shape shifting right can switch from swashbuckling macho superheroes to fainting Aunt Pittypats trembling in fear for their lives without even stopping to switch undies. It's their special gift.
Because they really are "Aunt Pittypats". Ain't a superhero in the bunch.
Not that we didn't know it ...
But William "The Bloody" (2 posts about this idiot in one day, a record) Kristol admits to what we've suspected all along. They're refighting the Civil War:
...
Hopefully, you understand that the reference is to the Battle of Gettysburg, and the scene is the moment before Maj. Gen. George Pickett launched his doomed charge up Cemetery Ridge. Many scholars consider it the turning point in the Civil War. Mr. Faulkner is saying that every Southern boy has a moment when they fantasize about what would have happened if the war had not been lost. Why does a New York-raised, Harvard-educated, son of Jewish intellectuals self-identify with a Southern army which fought for the institution of slavery? Honestly, that's hard to explain, but he says it's because Ronald Reagan was fighting the same battle.
...
Hey, you created this monster* ...
Seems a shame you can't control it now:
At least, we seem to be smarter than I gave us credit for:
Now, it would be nice if they can figure out how to keep the inevitable shitstorm from splattering us when they do.
U.S. officials are concerned that Israel will not warn them before taking military action against Iran's nuclear facilities, a senior U.S. military official said Friday.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, told the CNN network that although in the past, U.S. officials thought they would receive warning from Israel if it did take military action against Iran, "now that doesn't seem so ironclad."
...
At least, we seem to be smarter than I gave us credit for:
...
The military official emphasized that the U.S is concerned about the risk a strike against Iran could pose for American troops in Iraq and in the Persian Gulf, according to the CNN report.
The official also said that the U.S. does not intend to follow a military action against Iran, CNN said.
...
Now, it would be nice if they can figure out how to keep the inevitable shitstorm from splattering us when they do.
*And please, before you ream me .060 over, I'm not saying the creation of Israel is monstrous. Letting the Likudniks turn Israel into what she is today is.
Being he's wrong ...
Habitually and perennially, what does it mean when William "The Bloody" Kristol concedes the 2012 race to the Dems:
Erik Loomis says:
Let's hope Kristol goes against type this time.
In a column at the Weekly Standard website, former New York Times columnist Bill Kristol opines that "assuming that presidential field remains as it is" for the GOP, "2012 won’t be a repeat of 1980". He is referring to the election of Ronald Reagan after Jimmy Carter’s single term in the White House.
...
Erik Loomis says:
...
I think it’s time to start betting on the Republicans.
Let's hope Kristol goes against type this time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)