Catchall for whatever doesn’t fit elsewhere
All right, class, what have we learned today?
The story: Iran had a serious plot to kill the president.
The headlines: OMG Secret Service protected the president and not every asshole in the media. https://t.co/2xshtu9LSz
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe)
CLUE FOR THE CLUELESS: The Secret Service’s job, in fact its primary raison d’être, is to PROTECT THE PRESIDENT. “White House staffers,” not so much. “Reporters,” not at ALL.
(Via Stephen Green)
Mask OFF, but good.
In Packed Synagogue, a Democrat Scrambles to Defend Vote Against Arms for Israel
President Trump marvels regularly at how the Senate Democratic leader, Charles Schumer of New York, who used to be pro-Israel, has become “like a Palestinian.” (D-Mass Rep Jake—M) Auchincloss is lower profile than Schumer and much younger (Schumer graduated Harvard College in 1971 and Auchincloss in 2010), but on the basis of Auchincloss’s performance Monday night, it’s pretty much the same pathetic story. The press will try to spin it as how Netanyahu lost America, but one can just as easily see it as the tale of how the Democrats ditched the Jews.Auchincloss, a Marine veteran who was raised Jewish and whose mother, Dr. Laurie Glimcher, was CEO of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, had amassed a reputation as something of a pro-Israel moderate since winning election in 2020 to a seat that had been held by Joe Kennedy III and before that by Barney Frank. The district includes Newton, Brookline, and Sharon Massachusetts, which are dense with Jewish schools, congregations, bakeries, old age-homes and butcher shops.
The appearance at Temple Emanuel, a large and prosperous congregation that is part of the religiously centrist Conservative movement of Judaism, featured Auchincloss blaming Israel for what he called an illegal war against Iran in which 18 Americans have been killed.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump, they did cook up this catastrophic war together,” Auchincloss said, ignoring that Iran has been at war against America for 47 years. “Netanyahu zoomed into the situation room and made a direct pitch to the president.”
Auchincloss acknowledged that support for Israel among Democrats is “getting shaky,” but insisted that he himself still supports a qualitative military edge for Israel and American diplomatic backing for the Jewish state. He said he supports the Abraham Accords. He tried to downplay the significance of his vote on the grounds that even Prime Minister Netanyahu has said he wants to eliminate U.S. military aid to Israel when the ten-year memorandum of understanding reached with President Obama expires. He said he doesn’t favor an embargo on U.S. arms sales to Israel, but in the context of the war, he wanted to say, “we’re not paying for it, the American taxpayer.”
The flaws in the logic came out in the question and answer session. Auchincloss told Michael Segal, a member of the congregation, that he supported continued aid to Jordan.
One audience member announced “We feel abandoned. What do you say to the liberal Jews who are feeling lost?”
Dunno about anybody else, but here’s what I say to the self-gassing shitlib stupes: Figure it out, genius. The writing is on the blasted wall, has been for a goodish while now, so fucking READ IT already, willya?
Update! UNEXPECTED!!!™
One of the most telling moments in the evening came when the former vice chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, Tom Mountain, rose after Auchincloss’s initial remarks and attempted to offer a Republican response. He was ejected by a trio of security guards.
At last, something ALL Masshole LibTards can agree on and unite behind.
One simple, obvious solution suggests itself here.
Iowa and Missouri Tell New York to Keep Its Climate Rules at Home
New York is demanding emissions data from ethanol and biodiesel plants hundreds of miles outside its borders, plants that may have no idea their fuel ever crossed into the Empire State. Iowa and Missouri are fighting back in federal court.Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway renewed their case Wednesday in a joint op-ed, putting the constitutional principle plainly:
“One state’s authority ends where another state’s sovereignty begins.”
Bird and Hanaway argue New York’s greenhouse gas reporting rule can reach producers in their states simply because that fuel is later sold in New York, even when the producer never sold it there directly.
That is not a hypothetical edge case. Ethanol produced in Iowa routinely passes through multiple distributors, terminals, blending facilities, rail cars, and trucks before arriving at a New York gas station. The plant that made it may have had no say in where it ended up.
The price tag is steep: New York estimates annual compliance costs of $17,500 to more than $91,000 per facility. Larger facilities face an additional $4,000 to $17,000 per year for mandatory outside verification.
Miss a deadline or submit an incomplete report? Every single day counts as a separate violation, with civil fines up to $8,000 per day or criminal penalties including jail time. New York regulators can also show up and inspect your property, and under the rule, businesses have no real way to challenge that inspection before it happens.
“New York bureaucrats cannot tell Iowa farmers and ethanol and biofuel producers how to do their job or what regulations they need to follow,” Bird said when the lawsuit was filed.
Iowa’s biofuels industry is not a rounding error. The state’s 42 ethanol plants produced about 4.6 billion gallons in 2025, roughly 28 percent of the national total, supporting more than 31,000 jobs and generating over $5.6 billion in state GDP.
Its eight biodiesel plants rank first in the nation. Missouri ranks thirteenth in ethanol and second in biodiesel, with six and five plants respectively.
The lawsuit alleges New York’s green regulatory overreach violates constitutional limits on state regulation outside its borders, conflicts with the federal Clean Air Act, targets businesses without sufficient ties to New York, and authorizes inspections that violate the Fourth Amendment.
That solution I mentioned just now? Easy-peasy: a total nationwide embargo on all gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products for NY—sales, shipments, trades, the whole megilla. Oil company execs fretted about loss of profits caused by such a move should think about what they’ll be saving in taxes before they turn up their noses at shutting off the Texas Tea spigot to Shitlib Nirvana precipitately. Let’s see what the grabby, domineering sumbitches have to say for themselves after the traditional Beggars/Choosers relationship has been restored.
Of all the riotously funny song parodies that ran on the late, lamented Rush Limbaugh radio program, this here one is my hands-down favorite. Don’t know for sure if it’s Paul Shanklin or not, but I assume so.
The bit where the Yugo driver “swerves to miss a baby duck” and then gets “squashed by a produce truck” makes me laugh till my sides ache every single time.
The fascinating tale of Dr James Salisbury’s renowned brainchild.
alisbury steak — seasoned ground beef patties mixed with breadcrumbs or other ingredients — was invented by James Salisbury, a New York physician who was fascinated by the relationship between diet and health. In the 1850s, he conducted a series of self experiments in which he exclusively ate a single food for a few days or weeks. His first test, a diet of only baked beans, produced disastrous results: “I became very flatulent and constipated, head dizzy, ears ringing, limbs prickly, and was wholly unfitted for mental work,” he wrote in The Relation of Alimentation and Disease (1888). Next came oatmeal and other staples, but it was ground beef, which he called “muscle pulp of beef,” that finally delivered the results he sought.
His prescription was simple: broiled beef patties, served with simple seasonings such as butter, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon. This recipe, he wrote, “affords the maximum of nourishment with the minimum of effort to the digestive organs.” Vegetables, on the other hand, were not only unnecessary but also harmful in his view; Salisbury declared that vegetarians had “less nervous and muscular endurance than meat eaters.”
During the Civil War, Salisbury applied his nutrition theories to Union soldiers, who were fed a diet of beef patties instead of the usual hard biscuits, which tended to cause digestive issues. In the decades following the war, Salisbury’s diet evolved from medical prescription to one of America’s first fad diets, spurred on by the rise of wellness culture and increased public interest in healthy food. (Other notable 19th-century foods believed to promote health included graham crackers, which were originally intended to suppress the libido, and Kellogg’s cornflakes, which were served by their inventor John Harvey Kellogg at his world-famous sanitarium.)
World War I was a further boon for the Salisbury steak, as the name became preferred to the German-sounding “hamburger.” By the mid-20th century, the dish had become a blue-collar classic. Hearty, inexpensive, and easy to prepare in large batches, it appeared on diner menus and Navy cookbooks across America.
Then came the postwar boom — and with it, the rise of television. In 1953, the Swanson company introduced the TV dinner, a frozen meal packaged in a compartmentalized aluminum tray. Within its first year of production, more than 10 million trays were sold in the U.S., and the Salisbury steak was one of the TV dinner’s most enduring offerings. For a generation of midcentury families, Salisbury steak was the taste of modern life: a hot meal ready in minutes, eaten in front of the television.
The same forces that made Salisbury steak famous would later make it unfashionable. In the 2000s, Americans began to fall out of love with processed foods, in part due to growing awareness of their negative health effects. In 2012, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a ban on large sodas in the city, and First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged children to “Move!” The Salisbury steak, which was by then synonymous with microwaved TV dinners, fell victim to its association with cheap, unhealthy meals.
That said, not all processed foods suffered this fate, and another reason for Salisbury steak’s decline may be that it was outcompeted by its more convenient cousin, the burger, which rose to prominence as one of America’s most popular and iconic meals during the latter half of the 20th century. With the spread of fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King, many customers opted for the Salisbury steak’s handheld cousin when in the mood for a beef patty.
Though Salisbury steak has faded from the cultural spotlight in recent years, it is viewed with nostalgia by many who grew up with it and can still be found in home kitchens across America.
I ate a gracious plenty of those Swanson dinners featuring Salisbury steak when I was a kid, and it doesn’t seem to have done me any harm. Not that I know of, at any rate.
Via Insty, who quips, “Dr. Salisbury had your best interests at heart.” In stark today’s crop of Goosesteppin’ Left dietary/health/lifestyle scolds, who assuredly do not.
And the denouement will knock your socks off.
A Chicago Cubs fan who smacked another spectator who did not stand for The Star-Spangled Banner is speaking out after a video of the incident went viral.
The video drew strong and divided reactions on social media, with public opinion split on the older man’s actions.
Now, he has spoken out on the incident, which happened during the 10-1 win against the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field on Sunday, in various interviews.
Robert Chavez claimed that an important element of the story is missing.
In the video, he is seen yelling at the younger man – who was not identified – for his refusal to rise out of his seat.
Chavez told TMZ that he informed the young man of his status as a veteran of the Vietnam War and even rattled him with some stories from the conflict – all to no avail.
But looking back on the incident, Chavez admitted that he shouldn’t have resorted to physical violence.
‘Oh yes, definitely. I wish I could,’ he told Inside Edition when asked if he wanted to take back the slap.
‘Because, you know, even though I fought in Vietnam and I had buddies killed, you know, I mean, we fight for the rights of the people, and that’s one of his rights.’
Chavez then added: ‘Later on, during the game, next thing you know, he’s buying me a beer. We talked, we shook hands.’
A spokesman for the Cubs told TMZ, ‘The National Anthem is an important tradition at Chicago Cubs games. While we respect the rights of individuals to decide for themselves, we encourage every fan to stand, if they are able, and to remove their caps while the anthem is being played.’
The statement continued: ‘At the same time, the safety and security of our fans is our top priority. Our security team spoke with the fan who had been struck.
‘He indicated that the matter had been resolved, he did not want to have anyone ejected from the ballpark or any further action taken, and we respected his wishes.’
Pretty good stuff, no? Mr Chavez is a class act for sure, bless his heart. Like I said, the denouement is a real stunner: the Cubs not only won by a solid trouncing, but also hold 2nd place in the NL Central standings.
Second look at…uhhh, JOURNEY, ferchrissakes?!?
Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain blasts Bruce Springsteen as an “annoying, bitter old man” who should “shut up” when it comes to politics.
“I’m a diehard conservative… And guys like Bruce Springsteen should shut up. You know, really, honestly, shut up, Bruce, you know? Him… pic.twitter.com/3LLbyErl6N
— Variety (@Variety)
Also note that Mick Jagger, of all people, feels likewise.
Mick Jagger says fans don’t want political lectures at concerts after Bruce Springsteen’s anti-Trump speeches
Mick Jagger says fans don’t come to concerts to hear a political lecture in the wake of Bruce Springsteen’s on-stage speeches targeting President Trump.The Rolling Stones frontman weighed in during an interview on The New York Times’ podcast Saturday after host David Marchese questioned him about Springsteen, who has repeatedly criticized President Trump during his latest tour.
Marchese said Springsteen “clearly sees his job as engaging in a meaningful back and forth” with fans before asking Jagger, “What does your relationship to the audience mean to you? What do they represent, all those people out there?”
“The bottom line of my thing really is that my job in the live music world is [for] those people that come is to have the best time they possibly can,” Jagger said.
“For two hours or whatever it is, to forget all their problems and the problems of the world and their mortgages and whatever, just to give them the best time they can have.”
Provides me with a perfect excuse to run what I consider to be the absolute GOAT Stones song.
That one, Last Time, and Paint It Black are just about the only Stones tunes I ever much cared about, to be perfectly honest. Always dug Keef, always dug Charlie, but all in all? Yeah, no. I got dragged against my will (by my dear departed MiL, bless her heart) to see them live at the Meadowlands back in 2006, and it was a truly incredible show, I do admit. But still.
Lose your shirt.
The Shocking Cost of New York’s ‘Tax the Rich’ Experiment Has Finally Been Exposed
New York has spent years aggressively taxing its wealthiest residents in the name of fairness, and the results are now in. Suffice it to say, they’re not pretty.A new study released Monday by the Citizen Budget Commission (CBC) reveals the state’s share of America’s millionaires has dropped sharply since 2010, triggering a nearly $11 billion shortfall in tax revenue in a single year as high earners quietly packed up and left for lower-tax states.
The analysis shows New York’s share of millionaires fell from 12.7% in 2010 to just 8.7% in 2022 — the steepest decline of any state in the country.
As a direct result, personal income tax collections in 2022 alone were roughly $10.7 billion lower than they otherwise would have been if they had maintained their share of the wealthy folks. The study makes clear that the people leaving pay a disproportionately large share of state taxes, creating a painful hole in the budget that affects everything from public services to infrastructure funding.
This represents tangible evidence that the “tax the rich” mantra does not yield higher revenue to subsequently spend on public services for lower-income families or improve general infrastructure. It is actually taking money away from the state and those residents who might benefit.
Taxing the rich is a platform for the economically illiterate. Unfortunately for the Empire State, the economically illiterate hold significant positions in government.
Not to mention the 80-90% of NY’s population who are also “economically illiterate” their own selves.
Only his hairdresser knows for sure.
The (Pink) Elephant in the Room: Why the Whisper Campaign About Lindsey Graham’s Sex Life Matters
I worked in South Carolina talk radio in the early 2000s. (Shout out to 1250 WTMA, “Your news-talk leader in the Low Country.”) At the time, the sexual escapades of South Carolina politicians were fodder for gleeful gossip — especially our nonagenarian senior senator, Strom Thurmond. More than one Capitol Hill staffer told me his behind-the-scenes nickname was “Spermin’ Thurmond” — and his eye for (much younger) ladies was the stuff of legend.This was a few years before Lindsey Graham became a senator. Back then, he was still just a congressman, but everyone in South Carolina already knew who he was.
Rep. Graham was an ascending superstar; his political talents were obvious. From pressing the case in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial to his (nonstop) visits to TV studios, Graham was inescapable.
As were the rumors that followed him.
Because I certainly heard them. WTMA’s reporters heard them. Our audience heard them.
It was an open secret: Lindsey Graham was gay, but he stayed in the closet to protect his political career.
Yet despite this rumor’s enduring popularity, it’s entirely possible it wasn’t true at all. Who knows for sure?
But Lindsey Graham stayed scandal-free. He never embarrassed his supporters.
Not even once.
His body is still warm, but some very nasty allegations are already being aired.
Of course, it’s also possible that these allegations are bull[expletive]. It’s easy to lie about someone when they’re not around to defend themselves.
Still, the contrast between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is glaring. For all the talk of the GOP’s “homophobia” and “closed-minded Christian morality,” Sen. Graham was welcomed into the Republican Party with open arms. He was so welcomed that he confidently ran for president in 2016.
He was treated as an individual — instead of as a cardboard cutout for a preassigned special interest group.
Sen. Graham carved his own identity as a military hawk, an unapologetic interventionist, and a global champion of freedom. If you were an ally of America, Graham would defend you until his dying breath.
And now, he’s gone. But he won’t be forgotten.
That’s safe enough to say, I reckon. Gay or no, he was indeed one of a kind; there never was any sort of template or mold to force-fit him into. He went his own way always, which you gotta respect.
Update! Sen Graham’s fill-in replacement has been named.
We now know who will replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who suddenly passed away over the weekend. Gov. Henry McMaster (R-S.C.) appointed Darline Graham Nordone, the late senator’s younger sister, to take his place in the Senate until the election in November.
“Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him,” Nordone told reporters at a press conference with McMaster on Monday afternoon. “It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work, and I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States.”
“To Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words,” she added. “But I’m going to do this. I got it.”
Of course, Nordone’s name came up when President Donald Trump suggested that McMaster nominate her in a post on Truth Social: “I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina. This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Pretty unequivocal endorsement, woontchasay?
Never knew this about Roddenberry, but the story of Worf’s aviation addiction I’ve red of before.
From the Star Trek Set to Flying Jets
In his high school days, Gene Roddenberry borrowed a copy of Astounding Stories from one of his classmates. This was to become the start of Roddenberry’s fascination with science fiction.Not many people know that Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, started his career as a military pilot flying 89 combat missions on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. During his military career, he was involved in two aircraft crashes and was awarded the Air Medal and the
Distinguished Flying Cross
It was in the South Pacific where he first started writing, selling stories to flying magazines, and later poetry to publications such as The New York Times. Upon leaving the military Roddenberry joined Pan-Am, flying long-haul on the Clipper Eclipse for four years. One day he was deadheading on a Lockheed L-049 Constellation when his plane experienced an engine failure and subsequent fire.Crashing in the Syrian Desert with 36 people on board, seven crew members and eight passengers were killed in the crash, and Roddenberry, aged 25 years old at the time, was the ranking surviving flight officer.
Taking command of the situation, he was credited with saving the lives of the remaining passengers and facilitating their rescue. After this event he resigned and began writing for television, and Star Trek was born.
Now to that half-breed Klingon bastige.
Acting in Star Trek Leads to Aviation
Fast forward a few years to the second Star Trek series, ‘The Next Generation’ and we get to the star of our story, Michael Dorn who plays Worf, the first Klingon to serve in Starfleet.Dorn’s Worf would become a fixture on the show, appearing in 175 episodes of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ between 1987 and 1994, and in 102 episodes of ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ between 1993 and 1999.
He appeared on the big screen in ‘Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country’ (1991), ‘Star Trek: Generations’ (1994), ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ (1996), ‘Star Trek: Insurrection’ (1998) and ‘Star Trek: Nemesis’ (2002). As Worf, Dorn appeared onscreen in more Star Trek episodes and movies as the same character than anyone else. He recently reprised the role of Worf in Season 3 of Star Trek Picard.
Dorn had always had a fascination with aviation, leading him to many air shows and a collection of years’ worth of Air Classics Magazines. In 1988, Greg Benson, a friend who worked on the show with him, suggested he take up flying. This coincided with a writers’ strike, giving him a five month break from the show, so Dorn contacted Gunnell Aviation at Santa Monica Airport to work towards his license.
His journey into flying began the same way many do, in a Cessna C172. He still recalls the nerves he felt ahead of his first solo flight. “You pull over to the side, [the instructor] gets out, and he says, ‘OK, take it around’.
“I got to the end of the runway and was getting ready to take off, and I thought to myself, ‘OK, Mr Big Talk, you wanted to learn how to fly. Let’s see what you can do’.
“I was nervous the whole time until I came around and landed. After that first landing, it was just like one of those things where you say, ‘OK, I can do this’. I just kept going around and around. In fact, they had to tell me to stop.”
Then, one day, he got a phone call inviting him to fly with the Blue Angels. They had contacted Woody Harrelson from ‘Cheers’ to go down and do one of their media flights, and he had bailed at the last minute. Somebody had told them Dorn flew and they called him.
Dorn really enjoyed his flight with the Blue Angels, and, realizing it was possible to own an ex-military jet, he started down an adventurous and rewarding new path.
He damned sure did at that, living the dream via owning, among quite a few others, a YT3 Shooting Star, a Cessna Citation 501SP business jet, and the crown jewel of his collection: this gorgeous F86 Sabre.
From where I sit, Dorn looks to be one hellaciously lucky sumbitch.
Well, THAT’S gotta smart some.
New Courtroom Video Allegedly Shows Charlie Kirk’s Killer Taking the Shot
On Friday, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) contributor Jack Posobiec, in an on-the-spot interview with Turning Point USA’s Taylor Hansen, gave some vivid details of another video shown in the preliminary hearing of Tyler Robinson, who is accused of the murder of TPUSA’s Charlie Kirk.The new video reportedly shows the Kirk assassin actually moving into position and taking the shot.
Here’s how Mr. Posobiec described the video, which has not been released to the media.
I think everything’s been proven. I think it’s I think it’s I think it’s proven. It’s, I would say, beyond probable cause at this point. I think that the question for me is, how do you even get reasonable doubt when there’s so much evidence?
But the thing that I do just have to say is that I know that you guys watching on live stream couldn’t see the the last video that was shown. Well, it wasn’t edited. It was zoomed in. It was zoomed in from the surveillance video off campus, specifically, the part of the Losee Center, the roof. And… you see everything. You see everything. He climbs over. He assembles the gun, he runs over to the edge, you know, gets down in a prone position, and you see the time.
And we all know what time. And it just, it was like so slow, just watching those seconds. Click, click, click. And then you see him take the shot. And he takes the shot. and then immediately runs. And we’ve seen that video already, but I wasn’t… I knew we were gonna watch that, but I wasn’t, I wasn’t prepared to see this side of what happened because we’ve never seen it before. We saw the other end of the shot, obviously, but this was, this was a whole other level of just evil, and I got very upset watching it, and obviously, the family was very hard for them to watch, and I looked over, and I saw Tyler wasn’t even looking. He wasn’t even looking. See what he did.
And I would just say that I do wish… I wish the public could see that. I hope that video is made public, not because I want it to happen. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I hate all of this. I hate being here. But people need to see what happened. People need to see the other side of this because this is a case. We need to see the truth. We need to see the facts. And this is it’s, it’s the video of the sniper taking the shot. It is exactly what you think it would look like, but it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to watch, probably since the initial, when this happened, the first video.
Mr. Posobiec gave every indication of being somewhat shaken by the video, which is perfectly understandable.
Hell, it’s not entirely easy to just read Posobiec’s account, honestly—much less watch the danged vid, which I have no great desire to do. Over to you for more obnoxious dementia, Candace.
1Northern Barbarian
@xnoesbueno
Why we post about Britain. Because the British can’t.That, and because Britain is whence we sprang as a nation, and we still love Britain. And having expended considerable blood and treasure in Britain’s defense, we are not without standing.
We hate to see Britain descending into its Labour nightmare. Mass migration. Two tier justice. Racist police who turn a blind eye to rape, let a young man die because the foreigner who stabbed him cried racism. Police who will show up promptly to arrest you if you post something that might “cause anxiety” or “offend” but more particularly challenge authority.
We do that for Canada, too. And Australia.
Why has such a swath of the Anglosphere become so wretchedly authoritarian? The Anglosphere having spread civilization and notions of liberal governance, free enterprise, individual freedom around the world.
By far the biggest part of the Anglosphere, the United States, thankfully remains free.
Yeah. Thankfully.
They revoked their entire season for…smoking cigars? What? The image of a team celebrating with cigars was too “chauvinistic” for people to handle and they chimped out? What the heck is going on here? https://t.co/lgno5wSgFg
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital)
A-HENH! In a comments-section response to the above post on conquered Britainistan, NB adds:
It doesn’t get better than this. The third worlders know. Now the Euros are finding out.
Go out in the world, have a look. It doesn’t get better than this.
And engineered to be self-correcting. Perfect? No. But better than anything else humanity has come up with.
— Northern Barbarian (@xnoesbueno)
*looks at watch* Yeeaaahhh, that “self-correction” oughta be kicking in ANY TIME NOW *checks watch again*
Actually, I don’t entirely disagree with NB’s assertion that Amerika v2.0 is about as good as it gets with respect to what we’re pleased to refer to as freedom. He’s right; I’ve been to several other countries myself and, with the possible exception of the Netherlands (now completely overrun by Mooselimb immivaders, sadly enough), this really IS about as good as it gets out there in the wider world.
However, seems to me that’s damning with faint praise, just another feeble cope—which is absolutely NOT something any liberty-minded Real American ought to be willing to settle for. Once-Great Britain, Ireland, and Scotland aren’t the only nations badly in need of a revolution, seems to me.
More:
Scandalously, Thomas Jefferson once wrote to James Madison, “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and is as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.”
In the same year, 1787, in regard to what is known as Shays’ Rebellion, he wrote another friend, “God forbid that we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion.” A lack of rebelliousness among the people would demonstrate “a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. . . And what country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance?”
Truer words were never etc.
All of which goes to show that, as Jefferson clearly understood, there are two (2) standards for assessing the freedom of any nation-state, one correct and proper, one gone grievous astray:
Update! We may have fallen down on the whole “freedom” thing, but at least the food is good.
— ONT WTF (@OntWtf)
Via my daily Quora Digest email: question asked, question answered. Well, kinda sorta.
Who was the most boring rock star?
I was the music director of a popular college rock station in the early 1980s, and as such, had the opportunity to interview or sit in on interviews with a lot of touring acts, whose A&R people would dutifully bring them by to help boost interest and airplay.I can tell you there were a few good ones. David Johansen was boisterous and hilarious. Greg Kihn was cool and folksy. Steve Perry and Neil Schon of Journey probably would’ve been a great interview, but we were all punky and new wavy and our edgy drive time guy insulted them so they stormed off the set. Definitely not boring. And Nick Lowe was charming, clever, and full of stories, including a few about his longtime pal and running mate, Dave Edmunds.
You know who was boring as…well, really boring? Dave Edmunds! I don’t know if he was strung out from the road the day we got him, or bummed out to be stuck with a bunch of snooty kids, or whatever, but man, you could not crowbar a word from him. He just slouched in the chair, issuing monosyllabic grunts and such, until the interview mercifully ended.
The guy could really put on a show, and he was an amazing guitarist, and who even knows what he was like in real life back in the day, but in my sole encounter, for whatever reason, he was the most boring rock star. Hopefully someone has a story to counter this impression, so I can put the blame on me.
Been there done that myself, I’m afraid. One of the most embarrassing occasions of my whole life had to be the time we went to a local college radio station the morning after a gig in NOLA for an interview session. It being N’Awlins and all, naturally we weren’t merely hung over when we got there, we were still drunk as boiled owls. So every question received a mumbled, semi-coherent one or two word response. The poor DJ was totally at sea trying to make us sound lively and interesting, poor bastid.
Your feel-good story of the week.
MEMPHIS, TN — A Memphis man learned the hard way this week that not every backyard appliance is part of the city’s unofficial “take what you can carry” rewards program.
Police say 41-year-old Leonard “Lil Riblet” Barksdale allegedly hopped a privacy fence in Southeast Memphis around 2:13 AM after spotting what he reportedly described as:
“a lightly supervised gas grill.”
According to neighbors, Lil Riblet moved through the backyard “with the confidence of a man who’s never once considered consequences.”
That confidence lasted approximately four seconds.
Because waiting in the yard was Memphiszilla…
a pit bull described by witnesses as:
“Built like a refrigerator with childhood trauma.”
Authorities say the dog immediately activated what experts are now calling:
“The Find Out Phase.”
Neighbors reported hearing screaming so intense one woman thought somebody was auditioning for a gospel solo three streets over.
One resident said:
“That man hit notes that could remove wallpaper.”
Police say Lil Riblet attempted multiple escape strategies, including:
- Climbing a trampoline
- Throwing a lawn chair as a peace offering
- Yelling “BAD DOG” in a voice cracking like a middle school clarinet
- And at one point allegedly trying to negotiate: “Bro please… I don’t even need the grill anymore.”
But Memphiszilla was reportedly unmoved.
Investigators say the suspect eventually climbed onto a patio table and called 911 HIMSELF while the dog circled below like a furry tax collector.
Dispatchers reportedly struggled to understand him because he was simultaneously crying, wheezing, and screaming:
“HE GOT MY SLIDES!”
When officers arrived, they found Lil Riblet apologizing directly to Jesus.
I won’t even speculate on what that jibber-jabber about his “slides” might be all about. In any event, TH’s closer is priceless:
In Memphis, you might steal somebody’s grill…
…but sometimes the grill comes with teeth.
Heh. Effing BRILLIANT, start to finish. Yes, there’s a pic of the shredded spook included, which is sure to make your day no matter how rotten a mood you’re in.
2
2Words of wisdom from great North Carolinian Mark Robinson.
Want to raise kids who are decent human beings? Here’s what you can teach them. pic.twitter.com/98wxOcRq9M
— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC)
Just as he always has, the man makes a hell of a lot of sense. Such a shame that CNN was allowed to hound him out of the governor’s race in ’24 with a bunch of made-up crap.
NC GOP Candidate Accuses CNN of ‘High-Tech Lynching’
Mark Robinson, the fiery GOP candidate for governor in North Carolina, denied CNN’s “salacious” accusation against him and labeled it a new “high-tech lynching.”CNN, the network that calls leftist riots “fiery but mostly peaceful protests,” is claiming to have uncovered disturbing racist and sexual comments from Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson on a porn site. Robinson has denied the allegations, claiming the “tabloid trash” is meant to distract voters from real issues. He even accused his Democrat opponent of being involved in releasing the story.
Robinson, who is currently North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, posted a video addressing the CNN allegations. “Well, guys, the news media is at it again. My opponent is at it again,” he began. “You all have seen the half truths and outright lies of [Democrat] Josh Stein on these ads over and over again, and now a story … leaked by him to CNN, is appearing.”
Watch the above-embedded video, listen carefully to Robinson’s words, and then ask yourself: knowing how reprehensible and patently dishonest CNN has always been, does the man speaking in the vid sound like the kind of guy who would do the things his dirty-Demonrat opponent used the ever-helpful (for D卐M☭CRATs, natch) CNN to accuse him of?
Update! Transcript, for the X-challenged.
Robinson knows exactly what to tell them. “Okay, ma’am, I’ve got you on this one. How about you tell them to behave in school and pay attention? Tell them to get all the knowledge they can and make great grades. Tell them to be respectful to adults. and come tell you and their dad if they think an adult has been disrespectful or unfair towards them, and let you make the call on that.”
He continued to challenge the woman to prioritize good manners and common decency instead of an obsession with skin color. “How about you tell them to keep their pants up on their waist, not down on their backsides,” Robinson suggested. “And tell them if you get her pregnant, get a job. Then get her a ring. Then get a house, and then make it a home. Tell them to respect the law and those who uphold it. And if you are accosted by law enforcement, obey their orders and call you at the first chance they have, if need be. And if it’s just a traffic ticket, take it and say, ‘Thank you, officer’, and drive away in peace. Because fighting the traffic stop is for court, not the side of the road.”
Robinson also emphasized the importance of religion. “Tell them that Jesus Christ is the way and the truth, and if they will follow him, all will be well.” He ended, “Now, I believe if you tell them all these things, there will be no need to tell them not to take a knife to a track meet and stab a fellow high school runner to death. So, yeah, tell them those things. You’ll be amazed at how well things turn out.”
Alas, if the woman Robinson is responding to is anything like the murdering thug’s own close relatives, she won’t be listening.
Anthony’s parents have defended him every step of the way, claiming, in defiance of all evidence to the contrary, that Metcalf attacked their son instead of the other way around. His mother even claimed that every single witness was lying in an insane denial of reality. Anthony’s grandmother screamed, “racist, biased,” as she left the courthouse after his conviction. Karmelo Anthony was not a victim of racial violence. He committed deadly violence because his family raised a monster.
Sick, that’s what. But that’s what we’re all up against now, that’s the kind of warped (non-)thinking that must be overcome.
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