TPC – The Dastardly Legume

14 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Other Columns

≈ Comments Off on TPC – The Dastardly Legume

Tags

, , ,

“Controversial” fiction short held over from last week:

…

5 the Hive, Live, Breaking News, 9:52 AM:

Morning Anchor: ‘Breaking news in Anytown. Authorities in Anytown are responding to an emergency situation at George Washington Carver Middle School and Center for STEM Excellence in Standardized Testing. 5 the Hive learned, minutes ago, that the situation may involve a possible chemical attack. We do not, at this time, know if this is a terror attack or yet another school shooting. Our own P.B. Jay is on the scene. P.B., what do we know?’

Reporter Jay: ‘Pandemonium here at Carver Middle. I’m across Main looking at the campus. You can see … over my shoulder … we have fire trucks, ambulances, dozens of police. A S.W.A.T. team is preparing to make entry.’

Anchor: ‘Have you heard of any students or others harmed or … otherwise?’

Jay: ‘I’m seeing … we have hundreds of students and teachers exiting the building. You can see them with their hands raised for safety. The authorities are not taking any chances. And … I have here Assistant School Superintendent Aller Gee. Mrs. Gee, do we know exactly what has happened or if there are any casualties?’

Mrs. Aller Gee: ‘All of our children and their safety is our only concern. I have a rumor, a report, there are several sixth graders down … [voice cracks] … our babies are… [sobbing] More may be trapped in a bathroom or science lab. I’m trying to think of the children.’

Jay: ‘Thank you. [hugs Gee] Thank you. We’re all crying, here. And, everyone, the police are directing us to back up towards the Waffle House. Two more helicopters just landing now.’

Anchor: ‘We now know there may be six children, possibly more, succumbing to injuries at Carver Middle. A terrible tragedy. We will constantly cover this story and update you regularly. Now, 5 the Hive’s Jimmy Carter has more on the cows still loose on I-19…’

*******

…

READ THE WHOLE HILARIOUS THING AT TPC

DCIM100MEDIA

End of the Empire in Sight?

14 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Legal/Political Columns

≈ Comments Off on End of the Empire in Sight?

Tags

, , , , ,

This doesn’t look good. But it does look natural and excepted. US military advantage has eroded, study says:

“There is a strong fear of complacency, that people have become so used to the United States achieving what it wants in the world, to include militarily, that it isn’t heeding the warning signs,” said Kathleen Hicks, a former top Pentagon official during the Obama administration and one of the commissioners. “It’s the flashing red that we are trying to relay.”

The picture of the national security landscape that the 12-person commission sketched is a bleak one, in which an American military that has enjoyed undisputed dominance for decades is failing to receive the resources, innovation and prioritization its leaders need to outmuscle China and Russia in a race for military might reminiscent of the Cold War.

The military balance has shifted adversely for the United States in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, undermining the confidence of American allies and increasing the likelihood of military conflict, the commission found, after reviewing classified documents, receiving Pentagon briefings and interviewing top defense officials.

“The U.S. military could suffer unacceptably high casualties and loss of major capital assets in its next conflict. It might struggle to win, or perhaps lose, a war against China or Russia,” the report said. “The United States is particularly at risk of being overwhelmed should its military be forced to fight on two or more fronts simultaneously.”

In its list of 32 recommendations, the commission urged the Pentagon to explain more clearly how it intends to defeat major-power rivals in competition and war. It assailed the strategy for relying at times on “questionable assumptions and weak analysis” and leaving “unanswered critical questions.”

Economic depression, this foreign defeat, and 2033. Are you a prepper??

On a not unrelated note, given the expected “unacceptably high casualties,” maybe we could use a little of the overseas adventurism budget to shore up some of these 1-star VA zombie factories.

I read somewhere – somewhere stupid like Facebook maybe – a while back about some fantasy scenario which pitted the mighty US military against the entire world. In the fantasy, the US won, cakewalk style, in about a day. Questionable assumptions and weak analysis, there. A touch of insanity too. This is going to be hard to accept if or when it happens. 460 AD. Rome.

Blocks and Words

13 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Other Columns

≈ Comments Off on Blocks and Words

Tags

, , ,

En route to this post I was thrilled to find … more changes a-comin’:

Screenshot 2018-11-13 at 6.20.21 PM

Screenshot 2018-11-13 at 6.20.45 PM

Wheeeee. Might be a good thing. Better, at any rate, than the doings around our nation. I’ve been out and about with the people A LOT lately. No real report or judgment here. Just some words.

Fearful

Dumb

Gullible

Weak

Rotund

Make of these words what you will.

Say It Isn’t So

12 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by in Legal/Political Columns

≈ Comments Off on Say It Isn’t So

Tags

, , , ,

Debt, debt, and more debt:

The federal government is set to reinstate its borrowing limit, and a new analysis indicates that it will be a record-high $22 trillion — and then, it won’t provide enough money to fund the government past summer.

The shocking number, however, is only slightly higher than the current actual debt of some $21 trillion.

The ceiling has been in suspension and the debt has grown under President Trump. It is set to be reinstated on March 2, 2019.

A new Bipartisan Policy Center estimate suggests that the new limit will be $22 trillion, assuming no action is taken by lawmakers before that time.

The BPC analysis said: “Treasury will be able to fully fund the government until at least mid-summer 2019 by using extraordinary measures, cash-on-hand, and incoming cash flow. But costs to taxpayers will start earlier from factors associated with reaching the debt limit such as higher interest rates on U.S. Treasury securities.”

Through mid-Summer, 2019… That’s with the GOP at the helm, BTW. Dems, preparing to raid Congress, are calling for – wait for it – more gun control!!!

Democrats say they will pass the most aggressive gun-control legislation in decades when they become the House majority in January, plans they renewed this week in the aftermath of a mass killing in a California bar.

Their efforts will be spurred by an incoming class of pro-gun-control lawmakers who scored big in Tuesday’s midterm elections, although any measure would likely meet stiff resistance in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Democrats ousted at least 15 House Republicans with “A” National Rifle Association ratings, while the candidates elected to replace them all scored an “F” NRA rating.

“This new majority is not going to be afraid of our shadow,” said Mike Thompson, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. “We know that we’ve been elected to do a job, and we’re going to do it.”

More like doing a number than a job, really. So, with all the money flying away and the thugs coming for your gat … just relax with some happy social media to beat the blues. Oh, wait.

The link between the two has been talked about for years, but a causal connection had never been proven. For the first time, University of Pennsylvania research based on experimental data connects Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram use to decreased well-being. Psychologist Melissa G. Hunt published her findings in the December Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

Well, at least Big Social doesn’t spy on you. Oh, wait…

GOP Whine-Line: Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

10 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by in Legal/Political Columns

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

I have a lot of nicknames for the Republicans – wimps, idiots, jellyfish, CONservatives, etc. – all well earned. Jim Jordan, who coulda, woulda, shoulda been Speaker, laments the lost opportunity.

Freedom Caucus co-founder Jim Jordan, who is running for minority leader, has a tough message for his colleagues: If House Republicans had done more to change Washington and deliver on their campaign promises, they would still be in the majority.

“This might be a tough pill to swallow, but I believe that if we’d handled the past two years differently, we would still be the majority party in the House of Representatives,” the Ohio Republican wrote in a dear colleague letter first obtained by Roll Call.

No sh!t, genius. Past two years, past 20, past 50… Maybe if they had had Trump’s back more. Tax cuts could have been deeper. Debt ceiling could have held or, imagine this, been lowered. Obamacare could have been repealed completely. The budget could have been cut or, at least, paused. The Fed could have been brought to bay. The Empire could have shrunk. The border could have been enforced. FOPA, NFA, GCA, etc. could have been weakened or repealed. Premium cigars could have been left alone.

Ah well. A minority position means bow tie preaching, invisible lines in the sand, and good-nature caving. Looks like more of the same. Maybe it was destined to be.

The GOP Senate majority suddenly seems jeopardized too. Hopefully, Trump understands the concept of the veto. It appears, now, that he’s uncomfortable with the enemy combatant approach to dealing with traitors.

The good news! We’re almost another year closer to 2033! Tick, tick, tick, tick.

Two Kinds of Gun Control Not Working: A Veteran Snaps Before Veterans Day

09 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Two Kinds of Gun Control Not Working: A Veteran Snaps Before Veterans Day

Rerun from this morning. Check it out. More stories developing.

perrinlovett's avatarPERRIN LOVETT

A Marine combat vet shot and killed 12 patrons at a California bar.

Terrified patrons hurled barstools through windows to escape or threw their bodies protectively on top of friends as a Marine combat veteran killed 12 people at a country music bar in an attack that added Thousand Oaks to the tragic roster of American cities traumatized by mass shootings.

Dressed all in black with his hood pulled up, the gunman apparently took his own life as scores of police converged on the Borderline Bar & Grill in Southern California.

The motive for the rampage late Wednesday night was under investigation.

The killer , Ian David Long, 28, was a former machine gunner and Afghanistan war veteran who was interviewed by police at his home last spring after an episode of agitated behavior that authorities were told might be post-traumatic stress disorder.

Kind number one: Constitutional gun control not…

View original post 130 more words

Two Kinds of Gun Control Not Working: A Veteran Snaps Before Veterans Day

09 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by in Legal/Political Columns, News and Notes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

A Marine combat vet shot and killed 12 patrons at a California bar.

Terrified patrons hurled barstools through windows to escape or threw their bodies protectively on top of friends as a Marine combat veteran killed 12 people at a country music bar in an attack that added Thousand Oaks to the tragic roster of American cities traumatized by mass shootings.

Dressed all in black with his hood pulled up, the gunman apparently took his own life as scores of police converged on the Borderline Bar & Grill in Southern California.

The motive for the rampage late Wednesday night was under investigation.

The killer , Ian David Long, 28, was a former machine gunner and Afghanistan war veteran who was interviewed by police at his home last spring after an episode of agitated behavior that authorities were told might be post-traumatic stress disorder.

Kind number one: Constitutional gun control not applied. The Founders were rightly wary of a standing army. They were also adamantly against the idea of foreign adventures. When you have those things, then you have perpetual military conflict in far-flung places like Afghanistan. You get amped up young Marines with PTSD. When said men come home from war, they tend to bring bits of war home with them. If the Founders’s controls were allowed to work again, we’d see less of this.

Kind number two: predictable failure of positive gun control. The shooter used an extended magazine in his Glock 21, in violation of California law. If this sort of ban ever worked, then this shooting could not have happened.

Gavin Newsome, you dumbass, it’s not a gun culture; it’s a big government culture.

Lessons not learned.

‘No USA At All’: An Advertisement

08 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in News and Notes

≈ Comments Off on ‘No USA At All’: An Advertisement

Tags

, , , , ,

Last night, not content merely spreading post-election terrorism via Twitter (it’s okay, they’re communists), a mob of wild savages gathered outside the home of Tucker Carlson:

A group of protesters congregated outside what they claimed was Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s home in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night to chant threatening messages.

Smash Racism D.C., a self-described “anti-fascist” group, posted a video of their members screaming obscenities at Carlson’s house and blaming his “policies” for the deaths of thousands of people.

“Tucker Carlson, we will fight!” the protesters chanted. “We know where you sleep at night!”

In the first video posted to Twitter, one protester can be seen ringing Carlson’s doorbell before running away.

Yes, this is a preview of 2033. Yes, this casts doubt on the already too low American average IQ. But! It also happily brings to mind an old ad for one of our former nation’s finest products!

6206461

Tucker, they still sell these.

An “IQ” Test

08 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in Other Columns

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

I rarely disagree with the aggregated articles at LRC. But, what is this?

While those with an IQ range of 90 to 110 are said to be of ‘average’ intelligence, anything above 140 officially puts you in the genius bracket.

And according to creator quiz master Terry Stein, those who pass his tricky test on Playbuzz with a perfect score boast a ‘highly developed long term memory’.

The 15-question quiz tests players’ historical, geographical and religious knowledge with tricky multiple choice answers.

Scoring north of 140, on several “real” tests, officially rates one as either “very superior” or “genius/near genius.” And “genius” was historically a marker of advanced and unique individual achievement.

IQ and general knowledge (or memory) are related but different. IQ is like an engine and knowledge is like a transmission. They work well together but they are not exactly the same.

15 “tricky” questions suggest a measure of pedantry rather than raw processing power. Most internet IQ tests are really designed to soothe egos. For a real assessment, take the Stanford-Binet or the Wechsler tests, as administered by a professional.

The one Lew touts seems skewed a little to the low side. I took it and only scored a 274.