I have been mostly offline on TBP for nearly two years. I recently read an excellent article about journalism and its degradation and impact on the 2016 election. The full article is here.
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/2016-election-demise-journalistic-standards/
If you don’t want to read the full article, fine. But these words may resonate with the TBP faithful.
Continue reading “Join the Side You’re On”
Carol Sue Kirken, a 75 year-old, wealthy grandmother from Michigan was killed recently by a hippo while on a safari in Tanzania. The article I read gave absolutely zero details about how this tragedy occurred. None.
Predictably, most of the people who commented on the article asked the same questions. Did she not know that hippos are the most dangerous mammals on Earth and kill an average of 3,000 people annually? How did she ever get too close to the killer hippo in the first place? Where were the safari guides when this happened and what security protocols were used for all members of the safari? Pretty reasonable questions.
Then there was this comment from BozoPolitics, which I found to be outrageously funny and just about as politically incorrect as you can get. He would be an ideal candidate for membership in the TBP community. What do you think?
BozoPolitics said, “I’ve had some hippos chase me out of some bars late at night…..if I’d have fallen they would’ve probably gotten me….. Whew!”
Big hat tip to Wall Street Journal’s energy reporter Erin Ailworth, from whose article I borrowed heavily to write this post. She is based in Houston, and her full article can be viewed on the link below.
Fracking 2.0: Shale Drillers Pioneer New Ways to … – Wall Street Journal
A few years ago, when the global market on oil prices started to head south from over a $100 a barrel, the administrator, Sir James Quinn (who received his knighthood from the Irish owner of a pub in Wildwood NJ, heh) of this distinguished site and I got into an animated discussion about fracking for oil and natural gas. It was fun, mainly because I beat on him like a rented mule while arguing that fracking was good for America’s independence from foreign sources of oil, and Sir James argued that market forces on the decreasing price of oil would eventually destroy those energy industries heavily involved and heavily indebted in fracking for oil in America. Our discussion occurred when I believe oil had tanked to around $60 a barrel.
This article is my response to yesterday’s TBP posted article “In Scathing Attack ……” about CIA Director John Brennan’s recent harsh attack and criticism of Donald Trump. Let’s start with this.
“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters believe America’s intelligence agencies have their own political agenda. Thirty-nine percent (39%) disagree and think they generally perform impartially. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided.”
—-from Rasmussen’s website
Interesting. The poll also showed that the majority of Republican voters think that US intelligence agencies have “their own political agenda” (politicized), while the majority of Democrat voters do not. Let’s see who’s right.
“SSS, what is your opinion on Russian Hackers and this entire “act of war” with the election?”
—-card802
Glad you asked, and I’m putting on full body armor to prepare for the idiotic responses from the conspiracy idiots present on this site. My answer to card802’s inquiry is four words. Totally absurd false narrative.
I’ve got bad news for Senator John McCain and his warmongering ilk. The only reason for the VERY EXISTENCE of every foreign intelligence service on the entire planet is to commit espionage. Let me put it into layman’s terms that even McLame can understand. THEY ARE THERE TO STEAL THE OTHER GUY’S SECRETS. And in doing so, those intelligence services are breaking the law because every country on Earth, no exceptions, has a law against espionage. In essence, all foreign intelligence services are criminal organizations, vis a vis espionage laws, and funded by their host governments and manned by their citizens.
As some of you know, for years I’ve written lots of articles on the issue of the dangers of psychotropic drugs to those under the age of 25, when the brain is considered fully matured. Nearly 100% of the cases of young, mentally ill mass killers can be connected to psychotropic drugs. Nearly 100%. That’s not correlation, it’s causation. And here we go again.
“The man police say opened fire with a gun from his checked baggage at a Florida airport had a history of mental health issues — some of which followed his military service in Iraq — and was receiving psychological treatment at his current home in Alaska, his relatives said Friday after the deadly shooting. “Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn’t feeling too good,” his uncle, Hernan Rivera, told the Bergen Record newspaper. Esteban Santiago, 26, deployed in 2010 as part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, spending a year with an engineering battalion, according to Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.”
—-from initial news reports
Time for some math. Now age 26, Esteban Santiago had “some mental health issues” upon returning from Iraq in 2011, when he was 20 or 21. Uh, oh. What was the diagnosis, probably the usual PTSD, and what treatment did he receive? What medication was prescribed (it almost always is)? An anti-psychotic drug or an anti-depressant? We don’t know yet.
If the information on my questions is ever publically released, and it may be during his trial, dollars to doughnuts this guy was on a psychotropic drug or drugs. And once again, a young male on these drugs turns into a vicious killer. You can take it to the bank.
IT’S THE DRUGS, STUPID!!!!
This just in. George Washington University (GWU) has changed its course requirements for obtaining a history major to no longer include U.S. history. The university’s history department recently introduced new requirements with the stated aim of giving students greater flexibility to pursue their interests, and to “better reflect a globalizing world,” whatever that means. (In case you were interested, the annual tuition to this private Snowflake U. is $51,800. Great, Mommy and Daddy spend over $207,000 for their precious son or daughter to get a history degree that may completely exclude any deep historical knowledge of the country in which they live.)
Ever heard of it? Neither did I until a few weeks ago when I got an email from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau. The email advised me that I had been selected to take The American Community Survey, told me that federal law REQUIRES me to take the survey, and provided a link to fulfill this obligation. I hit delete.
A couple of weeks later, I received a thick, heavy envelope through snail mail from the Census Bureau sent to “Resident” with my home address. Yep, it was a paper copy of the survey, a mind-numbing series of questions directed at every resident of my address. A pamphlet with the survey told me, and I quote, it was “used to decide where to locate new highways, schools, hospitals, and community centers” in addition to “show a large corporation that a town has the workforce the company needs” and “many other ways.”
WTF? Don’t local residents and their elected officials make decisions about highways, schools, hospitals and community centers? YES!!!! Don’t corporations, large or otherwise, use due diligence to decide in which community to operate? YES!!!! Oh, the pamphlet reminded me that “Your response to this survey is required by law (Title 13, U.S. code, Sections 141, 193, and 221). Title 13 as amended by Title 18 imposes a penalty for not responding.” Ooooo. Sounds serious, doesn’t it?
Let’s cut to the chase and get to Question #47 of this survey. It asks you to identify every single, solitary source of your income. All of it. Wages. Salaries. Tips. Dividends. Interest. Trusts. Rental. Royalties. Pensions. Social Security. Alimony. Food Stamps. Disability. Workmen’s Compensation. Child Support. And on and on. The survey essentially asks for all of the information you have to report only to the IRS. And you are required to not only identify yourself, but every other person at your address and answer the same questions for them.
Uh, no. Not gonna happen. Ever. My response was to clip off the identifying address on the paper survey and send it back in the postage-paid envelope to the Census Bureau totally blank. Your response may be to just shit can the survey. Whatever. The best response to this survey is ……. silence.
I first met Richard (not his real name) in the fall of 2010. I had just joined a club and his golf group. He was a large, plodding man who enjoyed walking the golf course while guiding his battery powered golf cart around via remote control, sometimes with comic results such as dumping his cart and clubs into a sand trap. He always blamed the mishap on a malfunctioning remote controller. Oh sure, Richard. We shared one common quirk on the golf course. We both wore Sketchers walking sneakers (50 bucks!!!!) while everyone else wore various expensive brands of soft-spike golf shoes. Comfort over image and style.
I knew from the outset that Richard was the retired president of one of America’s premier public engineering universities and served 14 years as such. The school has been rated the #1 engineering university by at least one higher education ranking source. He retired with the title of Chancellor Emeritus, has a building at the university named after him and has more degrees, earned and honorary, than a thermometer.
But it wasn’t until I joined a men-only (no yucky women allowed, heh) luncheon discussion group that I got to know just how brilliant Richard was. When it came to ANY subject related to STEM and he was talking, the watchwords were ….. “Shut up and listen.” Once I gave a pitch on nuclear energy and noticed that Richard was smiling and nodding with approval. After lunch, he complimented me and added a few important pointers I hadn’t included. It was like a “wise professor and promising student” moment, but with a twist. I was in my late 60s; he 10 years my senior. From that point on, we always shared some one-on-one time after lunch. Our conversations were on a wide range of subjects and truly delightful and educational.
Then an email arrived on an early Saturday afternoon in late summer of 2013. Richard and his wife Mary (not her true name) had committed mutual suicide by drowning themselves in their backyard swimming pool that very morning. I was stunned and shocked. The emails and phone calls started to fly. Richard was in perfect health. But not Mary. She was dying from Stage 4 cancer and in great pain, hidden from all but their children. Nearly empty pain killer med containers were found by the poolside. Details on how they drowned themselves surfaced. Richard and Mary had a quiet evening dinner just the evening before at the club, where many members stopped by to chat. All proved to be true.
That incident continues to haunt me. It is clear that Richard did not wish to live without his wife and lifelong soul mate, despite his top-shelf professional accomplishments and deep respect from those who knew him. None of that mattered. All that mattered to him was he was losing his beloved. Period. It is my wish, hopefully, that you just read a 21st Century version of “Romeo and Juliet, Senior Style.”
I also wish, however selfishly, that he were still here.
As someone who has over 10 years experience working with the FBI, I’ve stated repeatedly to those who inquire about the Clinton email investigation that the FBI will go where the facts take it AND, just as importantly, FBI employees are extremely proud of the Agency’s reputation that it is the most competent and incorruptible law enforcement agency on the planet. I know those guys. Thus, my longstanding conclusion to all who will listen: Hillary’s toast because the FBI will recommend to the Attorney General that she be charged with violations of federal law.
I am no longer alone. Read on ……..
“Former FBI agents who worked the notorious 1970s sting operation known as ABSCAM have written FBI Director James Comey to warn that nothing less than the bureau’s “reputation” is on the line as the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email practices enters a critical phase.
The agents offered their support for Comey and the agents working the email case. But the letter cautioned the outcome would have long-lasting implications. “Decisions must be made on facts alone. Much is at stake here — people’s trust in the Bureau for years to come, as well as the Bureau’s reputation among our allies, partners, and friends as the greatest law enforcement agency in the world,” wrote John F. Good, president of the Long Island Chapter of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI.
Good told Fox News a half-dozen FBI agents who worked the 1978 ABSCAM investigation – which targeted sitting members of Congress — belong to the chapter. The ABSCAM investigation included more than 30 political figures, with six House members and one U.S. senator ultimately convicted of crimes.
Good, 79, told Fox News by phone that the Clinton email case boils down to whether the U.S. is a nation of laws, where all citizens are equal under the law, or there is a different set of rules for the powerful. He said the ABSCAM agents thought it was important to show support for the bureau’s work in the email probe since they know what it feels like to face intense public scrutiny. Good, though, said the pressure the ABSCAM agents faced 40 years ago pales in comparison to what Comey and the agents are dealing with today regarding the Democratic presidential front-runner and her aides.”
The little woman and I will celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary in June. We have booked a 10-day cruise to Alaska, the last of 50 states she has never visited. I locked in #50 three years ago (Oregon). The last time I was in Alaska (Fairbanks) was 1968 in February for 3 weeks, and when I arrived it was minus 40 degrees, so I’m not sure that miserably cold 3-week stay counts.
S-o-o-o-o-o, to further celebrate our “vacation from our vacation” (retirement), as Admin so aptly describes it, we decided to buy new luggage. Off we go this afternoon to Kohl’s. I found this Samsonite behemoth that could transport a baby whale originally priced at $360 marked down to $109. Wow. It had some scuff marks on the exterior, but so what – otherwise it was in excellent condition. One or two flights with the luggage will just triple the scuff marks anyway. My wife had a $20 off coupon to make it what we thought would be $89 plus tax. Smoking bargain!!!!
Wrong. We go to the cash register. The clerk scanned the bar code, and it came up $29!!!! She called the manager and told him the URL on the tag matched what came up on the register screen. He okayed the sale. She then accepted the $20 off card, and we were down to $9. Story not over. We got a FURTHER 20% discount because my wife has some sort of Kohl’s discount shit. With tax included, we ended up paying $7.63 for a $360 piece of luggage. That’s exactly 2% of the original retail price plus tax. To put it in more dramatic terms, just the sales TAX alone on the original price was almost 4 times what we paid.
What’s your best shopping bargain?
“Funeral services will be held today in Kanab, Utah, for LaVoy Finicum, the rancher killed last month during the occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.”
—-AP
Has anyone noticed that, out here in Josey Wales country, the natives are getting restless? And I don’t mean Chief Ten Bears and his merry band of pissed off Comanches. I’m referring to the ranchers and farmers who are fed up with the federal government, particularly the Bureau of Land Management and the EPA.
And guess who many of these ticked folks are? They’re Mormons. That’s right. Cliven Bundy and sons are Mormon, as was LaVoy Finicum, who will be laid to rest today. Live-and-let-live, law abiding Mormons who, for generations, quietly built thousands of small, lovely communities in a land belt stretching from Arizona through Nevada and Utah into Idaho. Places where they could live in peace, work hard, practice their religion without harassment (that’s why they moved to the West from the intolerant Northeast in the first place), and raise their families.
I’ve been to dozens of these Mormon communities, including Kebab. Eaten at their mom and pop restaurants (tasty, home style cooking) and stayed at their locally owned motels (always clean and comfortable). These communities are extremely safe and well maintained. For the most part the homes are modest, but they are framed with flowers, well kept lawns, and the ubiquitous garden in back. The pride of the residents who live there literally screams that pride to visitors. It is solid testimony to the word “community.”
The Mormons are among the people who are getting very angry and defiant. Very. And that’s not a good sign.
So, the little woman and I headed out this chilly afternoon in Tucson to see the movie, “The Big Short.” Good flick. Too bad that probably less than 1% of the people understand what the hell happened when the housing bubble collapsed, and a large segment of that 1% are TBP visitors.
Oh well, after the flick, we headed off to Pei Wei for a touch of Oriental cuisine. To throw in a Facebook comment (picture not included), my spicy sesame shrimp over noodles was quite tasty. Better than that chicken lettuce wrap rabbit food my wife ordered. She kept picking at my dish, which tells you something.
Then there was the fortune cookies. My main squeeze’s read, “Your financial fortune in the future is very bright.” And mine read, “Your relationship with family and friends will greatly improve in the coming weeks.” Somehow, the Queen of the SSS Household interpreted all that to mean, “Buy a Powerball ticket.”
While we both quit gambling 20 years ago (she slots, me blackjack), off we go at her urging to the nearest convenience store to buy 5 Powerball lines. 10 bucks for 5 lines of 6 numbers each, for 60 total numbers. We hit exactly 2 numbers out of 60 possible in all 5 lines. TWO.
WTF are the odds that the computer can pick only 3% winning numbers out of 60? About the same as the folks who saw the freaking housing scandal on Wall Street and bet against it. The very few won. Millions of others lost.
Never trust a fortune cookie.
Tim says (he’s asked this question at least 3 times previously in various threads on marijuana): “This is a serious question, and not intended to troll. Can someone please explain to me the difference between decriminalization and legalization?” Well, Tim, why not do some independent research. But here goes.
Decriminalization = Downgrading the possession and/or use of a certain quantity of marijuana deemed “for personal use” from a felony to a misdemeanor and subjecting the possessor to a FINE in lieu of formal arrest. The quantity of marijuana deemed “for personal use” is defined under individual state law. For example, six ounces or less. New York and Ohio are two states which have decriminalized personal possession/use of marijuana. Decriminalization has these important features:
1) The offense does NOT appear on the offender’s criminal record as it is not defined as a felony. This is the most important feature of decriminalization since the offender is not stigmatized as a felon for the rest of his/her life.
2) The offender is not placed under arrest, taken to jail, and subjected to a trial, which creates an undue burden on the offender and the state. Instead, the offender is issued a ticket which defines the offense and a fine, released at the place of detention, and pays the fine either by mail or appearance in a misdemeanor court of law. Example: a first offense for marijuana personal use/possession in Ohio is a $100 fine.
Legalization = Possession, including medical marijuana, of a certain quantity of marijuana deemed “for personal use” is legal under state law. No detention. No fine. Same applies to a certain small quantity of marijuana plants being grown by an individual. It’s legal. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Fits right in with the simple-minded crowd who shout, “Legalize it and tax it.” Not so fast.
1) Legalization in Colorado and Washington has created large and expensive state bureaucracies to enforce their complicated laws. Brand new state licensing board employees and state inspectors for the growers, transporters, and sellers are two examples of state drones who will never go away.
Several years ago, Admin advised upon the launch of TBP 2.0, “It is my intention to piss off everyone here.” I thought, “Hey, I can do that, too.” I have had many successes, and my fan base has shrunk to, well, me. Here’s my latest effort.
Way back on May 13, 2013, a liberal website, ThinkProgress.com, published an article on the dire financial hurdles that the owners of legalized pot businesses, both medical and recreational, faced. The main points noted were …..
—- Can’t open a bank account. Comment: this is still largely true, although a few state chartered banks will open accounts for pot-related businesses, at a nominal charge of $500-$5,000 per account per month. Heh. Therefore, pot businesses remain overwhelmingly cash only. Employees are mostly paid in cash or money orders.
—- Can’t take out a loan. This is STILL completely true.
—- Can’t open a credit card account. VISA, MasterCard, American Express and all other issuers of credit cards won’t touch pot businesses with a 10-foot pole. In fact, pot businesses are placed on a “merchant watch list,” and anyone related to the pot industry can’t even get a credit card for a totally unrelated purpose. Further, those intrepid investors in the pot industry are now thinking twice lest their credit suffers damage.
—- Can’t take ANY tax deductions on their federal tax return. Not one penny. Those meanies at the IRS aren’t budging, mainly because they are legally barred from doing so.
Well, as many of you who visit TBP already know, the pro-pot crowd NEVER gives up. So earlier this year, the latest effort was to form a pot bank in Colorado, the Fourth Corner Credit Union, which would cater to pot businesses and get them entry to the financial market and clear out the above obstacles. So far, the Fourth Corner has yet to open a single account because the Kansas City branch of the Federal Reserve said, in essence, “Your can’t take deposits and issue credit.” Hmmmm. What to do? What to do?
Well, let’s sue!!!! The lawyer for Fourth Corner found a VERY liberal and sympathetic federal judge, R. Brooke Jackson, an Obama appointee, to preside over the lawsuit hearing, and he stupidly argued that national marijuana legalization is inevitable, which is a decision for Congress and the President. Judge Jackson, who has openly supported in court solving the banking and financial barriers facing the pot industry, replied to the lawyer, “If I were in the Congress, I’d vote for (legalization of marijuana), but I’ve got to do the job of a federal judge here.” Even a liberal federal judge knows the limits of his power. Stay tuned.
Happy New Year from SSS to our former and current TBP potheads and marijuana legalization advocates. You’re going to lose. Decriminalization versus legalization!!!! Happy New Year to all.
You’re gonna want to read this. It’s short and sweet.
Tucson, Arizona has a population of 580,000 and is one of the poorest cities in the U.S. 6th poorest. It is Arizona’s liberal bastion with a 3-1 majority Democrat-Republican voter registration (there are no Republicans on the Tucson City Council) and the county seat of Pima County, which is also dominated by liberal Democrats on the Board of Supervisors. The city and county, not surprisingly, are sinking into an economic abyss. The tanked housing market and associated Midwestern retiree migration to southern Arizona is still in bad shape. There’s no more Monopoly money for “nice to have projects.” Hasn’t been for years. That’s the background.
On Tuesday, the people of Pima County voted on 7 bond issues totaling $820 million dollars. Buried in the 7 bond proposals were 99 (!!) projects, of which the vast majority were useless Christmas tree ornaments. Not needs of the community at large, but “nice to have” stuff favoring liberal activist groups.
All of them failed by large margins, including a $200 million bond to fix the roads, which are some of the worst in the nation. Right behind the road bond was $192 million for parks and recreation, which the liberals touted as a vital function of the local government. Pima County already has the highest bond debt in Arizona, and these bond proposals would have more than doubled it. Evidently, TPTB didn’t think there were enough voters with basic math skills to sink the bonds. They were wrong.
Hope this helped to brighten your day.