Archives for January 2022

Note: Due to “things” several screeds have not been posted and will at some point in time appear. What kind of things you ask? and what do I mean by things? Things, you know. Things. I hope that clears it up.

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Well, depending on your background the above question may have different meaning for you than others.

Before you read on I suggest you write down what you thought of when you read that question.

I’m guessing one of two things came to mind: football or politics.

Politics in the sense of what’s going to happen in the Ukraine?

Or maybe politics in terms of what’s going to happen in the next election (or to America)?

Or perhaps you meant football?

Regardless, I have the answer.

Let’s start with football. Which teams are left?

Two games, four teams:

Bengals/Chiefs,

49ers/Rams.

First off, before I tell you who’s going to win let’s get three things straightened out first in regards to football:

1 – No one seems to want to see Aaron Rodgers on the field,

2 – Rumors about Tom Brady declaring he’s going to retire are apparently not true,

3 – The OT rules stink.

As to who is going to win the games. 

Rams and Bengals.

What? You want a reason? You want a stinkin’ reason?

OK, OK, Okay. Rams are going to win because they are the better team. 49ers are quirky. Garapolo has been uneven in play in the pocket. It is possible that their defense could keep them in the game, but I’m expecting a blow out.

Bengals/Chiefs could go either way but I guessing Mahomes will choke or not get the protection he needs, and therefore his performance will not be what it has been. Therefore the other team will win. I don’t know much about the Bengals but so what? Close game, at least closer than the other game.

That leaves two games left in the NFL season. You didn’t forget the Pro-Bowl did you? 

AFC wins it.

Super Bowl – Rams win it. Not close. Bengals suffer injury in the first half and it’s never close after that. The commercials will be intriguing for a few. The rest? Try to guess the product. The half time show? Weird to Whaaat???

What’s going to happen in Ukraine? Now that some muscle is being put behind Ukraine it is unlikely that Putin will do anything. He’ll wait to see how long troops stay in-country.

The upcoming election – the country will face a real and dramatic set of crisis as Republicans wlll do what they can to screw over as many potential voters as they can. Right now it looks like the Repubs will do well. Unless, … unless, the Dems start beating the drum, but that’s another discussion.

PS me with likeness of how Rhino Republicans see themselves ie White, strong, (but actually hollow and doing nothing).

Oh gee, note to self: Call Ron Johnson’s office and ask for the names and next of kin or where to send flowers to all those athletes that Senator Johnson told us dropped dead after taking the vaccine. (To quote our President, “What a stupid son of a bitch.)

Monday January 24, 2022

As you probably know I haven’t been writing much because it’s the same old stuff. Names change, places changes, stupid conspiracy theories change but it’s the same stuff. Stuff I’ve heard since I was five years old. “Eisenhower is a Commie.”, etc. Then it was “Barack is a socialist,” Now it’s Biden is ineffective.

Katie Porter was on Lawrence’s show a few nights ago, she had two sets of three stats: 1 – How are we doing? 2 – And Costs if we don’t act.

How are We Doing?

5.5% GDP Growth –

    all other G7 countries are in negative GDP. We have the fastest growing economy in years.

3.9% Unemployment. Lowest in years. Brought down faster after a recession than in any other time.

$345.00 increase in the Average American Family’s monthly disposable income, even counting for inflation.

Costs if We Don’t Act:

       $8,000,000,000 if we don’t let Medicare negotiate drug prices

   $145,000,000,000 If we don’t act to stop climate change (ie cost of clean up from flooding, wildfires, etc.)

$1,000,000,000,000 Cost if we don’t fully fund IRS so we can get people to pay the taxes they owe.

https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/rep-katie-porter-and-her-white-board-explain-strength-of-biden-economy-131354693754

Now one to D.D.D. (Dim, Dimmer, Dead):

Meatloaf died this week. From Covid. He was proudly unvaccinated. “I may die, but I’m free.” Yeah. Right. I never thought he was too bright. I mean his songs had some pretty lame lyrics: two out of three ain’t bad, by the dashboard light. I thought his musical highpoint was Rocky Horror. Then there was that weird Apprentice show he was on. So poor Meatloaf, proudly ignorant.

Then there is the advisor to the former President that may have to answer as a representative of our government – Ivanka. Yes, she’s Daddy’s little girl, but she also was in the government and as such has some explaining to do to the people. I still remember an interview where a reporter was asking her a question. She looked at him slack jawed and expressionless. Then she said, “I don’t know what that word means.” The word was “complicit.”

So who is dumber? I mean dimmer Ivanka or Meatloaf? 

Well, Meatloaf is dead. Ivanka wins.

I’m tired of people criticizing Biden for not having done more. They seem to forget the mess he inherited.

Now Republicans are trying to rig the next elections and when asked what they will do when and if they do take power their answer is “Wait and See.” So far they are proud to stand in the way of anything the President tries to do without offering anything that they think would be better. Well, that’s not entirely true. Susan Collins wanted the Rescue Plan that did pass to be smaller. Why? She “felt” it would be better if smaller. Did she mean less effective? Probably not, just smaller because ya know, it felt better to her.

Then there are the Republican members of Congress crowing about the money coming to their districts. They somehow forget to mention that they voted against it.

As I’ve said same old stuff.

And Joe Rogan, Bill Maher, and Aaron Rodgers of the “if you stay healthy and take care of yourself you don’t need to get vaccinated” club, I ask you this, “Do you think the Indians who died of Smallpox weren’t healthy?” Your argument does not stand up to the facts. Did you guys fail 6th grade science? Asking for the rest of us.

Saturday January 8, 2022

Item – In her book “Strongmen” Mussolini to the Present, author Ruth Ben-Ghiat outines one of the characteristics of authoritarians is their ability to play the victim. Hitler did it and Trump has done it to a tee.

The other point is that they will use this to tell a lie and once believed there is little or nothing they can’t tell their followers that won’t be believed

Item – A woman who writes for Politico and follows the Supreme Court was astonished at the as she described “surreal nature” of the conservative justices toward the two cases brought against Biden’s imposition of vaccine mandates. She was stunned to hear Justice Alito saying he wasn’t sure the government had the authority to impose such mandates, and questioned whether OSHA could do so. They are ignoring the clear and present danger that the virus poses. Then the conservative justices seemed to doubt whether the vaccines were not dangerous in some hidden yet unknown way.

Item – One of the authors of the book “Nudge” was interviewed. Nudge is the idea that you can influence people to make decisions you want them to make by providing subtle cues. For instance putting healthy fruit at eye level in a super market. Or if you want to discourage some behaviors make it harder and less convenient. Take voting, if you get rid of drop boxes, early voting and move polling places far from the population you can anticipate fewer people voting.

Item – The average white voter take 6 to 7 minutes to vote. The average black voter takes 42 to 53 minutes to vote.

item – An interesting montage was played on Jan 6th on The Reid Out. The show played Trump’s words about the Jan 6th Insurrection where he said there was a lot of love and the film footage showed the police fighting to stop the surging mob.

We are in dangerous times.

Thurday January 6th, 2021

It was one year ago today.

The most telling thing I saw about it today was a montage of what was going on at the Capital and what Trump was saying. As the fighting was going on he was talking about all the love he saw. Really? That’s his idea of love?

Okay, so what to do? Well, it’s taken The Justice Department a year to get 150 or so to court. These are the easy cases, the low hanging fruit. Most have gotten off with little or no jail time. But there are a total of 700 that they are pursuing of the over 2500 that were there. At this rate it will take four to six years to just get these bozos. But the real higher ups, the ones who organized this insurrection would not have been charged until, what?, after the 2024 election?

Some say, “Oh it’s just political.”

Well, yeah, it’s political. Lemme break it down for you. When you attempt to overthrow a government, it’s political.

I understand that the standard sentence for this is twenty years. I’m cool with that. So let’s do it. Those who stormed the Capital – 20 years.

Those who organized it – 20 years.

Those who condoned it – 20 years.

Those who financed it – 20 years.

That would include Trump and his inner circle who were in on it – 20 years.

Those who wrote the plans and memos outlining what was going to happen – 20 years.

Those at the Willard Hotel who were orchestrating it – 20 years.

Those in Congress, both House and Senate, who voted not to certify the election – 20 years.

Those who gave speeches at the rally before the march to the Capital – 20 years,

It seems there were 40 to 100 who were in on the planning and financing.

There were 160 in Congress who voted not to certify the election.

There were 40 or 50 in the Senate who did the same.

So what are we talking in temrs of numbers? 300? 400? who weren’t at the Capital smashing windows but were in on it? Hey. We got room for them in prision. Treason. 

It’s too bad we don’t have executions any more. But I’m a sympathetic guy. I’d say let each on room with a hardened criminal doing time for other crimes, like murder, assault, . Maybe some can learn a new trade – like makeshift tattoo artist?