Heavy Hands and Kid Gloves - 8/31/2023

I have never participated in a protest in my life. When there was talk of going to D.C. on January 6, 2021 to protest what I thought to have been highly irregular activities in the just past November Presidential Election, I immediately thought, not a good idea. Nothing good will come from it.

 

All that being absolutely true in my case, I continue to be disturbed at the federal criminal justice system's actions in the matter.

 

First off, Washington D.C. is one of, if not the single most overwhelmingly blue cities in the country. You couple a large population of minorities whose political affiliation is overwhelmingly Democratic, with a massive number of Federal Government employees, also overwhelmingly affiliated with the Democratic party, and there is no way to find an impartial jury. None. Nope. Can't be done. Why would that matter?

Because politics in 2021, 2022, 2023, and surely 2024 has become a pure Rorschach Test. We live in echo chambers. We have become indoctrinated to think the absolute worst of people who think differently from ourselves politically. Hillary Clinton called us deplorables: racist, homophobic, islamaphobic, xenophobes. Biden called MAGA semi-fascists. Many on the left don't want to say it out loud, but there is no doubt that the rhetoric in recent years has people seeing and believing the absolute worst in people. Every one of the protestors (even some people who weren't in D.C. on Jan 6th at all!) is going to have the book thrown at them. The Judge in the Donald Trump case is going to throw the book at him. Why? I'll tell you why.

 

Because they believe the absolute worst about Trump. About Trump supporters. There is no benefit of the doubt. There is no presumption of innocence. There is no consideration for anything at all. What there is is hatred and vengeance. Yes. Hatred and vengeance. Proud Boys Joe Biggs got 17 years today. He helped take down the fence that separated the police from the protesters. Maybe that's the right sentence based on his situation. It seems like a lot to me, more than warranted. But you go on social media, where Democrats feel comfortable to speak openly, and it is nearly unanimous: the sentence was too light.

I think we are being taught a lesson. These protesters are being made an example: if and when you come to that think we fucked you over by stealing the next election, you'd better not dare come here and protest. We will gulag and stockade your smelly Walmart shopping gun toting asses until your grand and great grandchildren are on Medicare.

 

I saw the BLM riots that preceded the election. I saw the Antifa violence. President Trump whisked to his secure location by Secret Service. Fires in D.C. Federal courthouses on the west coast under seige by angry, violent mobs of protesters. I saw protesters illegally camp out outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices. In my eyes that stuff was all just as wrong and just as punishable as what many, many minor non conspirators, caught up in the moment are having done to them.

 

I am not condoning anyone interfering with official government business. But I am able to see clearly an extremely heavy hand being wielded on the one hand, and the extreme kid gloves on the other.

 

None of what happened, and none of what is happening, gives me greater confidence in our government, trust in the fairness and justice in Federal law enforcement, belief in our elections, or hope for our country. But honestly, I am afraid to go to Washington to express my concerns in protest as protected by the First Amendment of our beloved (at least by some of us) US Constitution. Nope, because I know, Constitution be damned, my innocence of crimes damned as well, that I'll wind up in gulagged and stockaded, made an example of in the finest tradition of Stalin, Mao, and the rest of the inhuman totalitarian bullies of the last 100 or so years.

Pronouns - 7/17/2023

Just a quick hitter on pronouns this morning. I was scrolling on Twitter, and a mother was complaining that she took her child to a doctor's office, and the receptionist had the audacity to refer the the child as "she" and "her" rather than "they" or "them". She said she corrected the receptionist, but the receptionist kept using she and her. What audacity that receptionist has!

All at once "they" and "them" as preferred pronouns bugged me. Why? Well, as I thought about it I realized I thought they and them are plurals. Was the mother saying the child has multiple personalities? Does the child have multiple identities? Does the child identify as a group rather than a singular person. Scratching my increasingly bald head, I decided I need to look it up.

Lo and behold, the definitions have been updated. No longer are these words defined as plural to refer to either unspecified persons or a group of persons. The definitions have been modified to include use as pronouns for non-binary persons who don't feel "he" or him", nor "she" or "her" are an accurate reflection of who they perceive themselves to be. Non-binary meaning there have been traditionally only two choices, and neither of them fits a person's self awareness.

The most fun part of it is the mother making the receptionist out to be some kind of a bad person. When the kid gets into the room with the doctor is the doctor not supposed to know which anatomical features he or she will be examining. "I see 'they' have no penis, would 'they' like me to check 'their' PSA and give 'them' a prostate exam anyway?" "Would 'they' like a mammogram, or shall I pretend those aren't breasts?" These are the same fucking people who tell us to 'trust the science'.

While I'm on this rant... I went into the Whole Foods across the street Saturday to do an Amazon return. On the way in I saw a nearly androgynous looking person, presumably a woman, with green and blue hair, multiple face piercings, ear gauges, and an unusual and striking combination of colors and patterns in her clothing. I didn't have an issue with any of that. But it did strike me that this person, dare I say 'she', worked really hard to not look like her natural self, and also dressed so that people like me would notice and say, "What?"

Why in the fuck are so many people trying so hard to be something other than what they are? Instead of "being their best 'me'," what I see is people trying to be something they're not and then get mad at us if we think of them as what our eyes see.

I'm glad I'm retired and don't have to deal with this bullshit in an employment situation. I really am. If I was starting a company now, I would be open to hiring all races. All religions. Gay and lesbian people. Transgenders, too. Seriously. But you know who I wouldn't hire? People with pronouns in their bio. People with pronouns in their bio aren't looking for fair and equal treatment. They're looking for a fight, a slight, an argument, or a transgression to call out for the evil they see it as. I'm going to be facing an EEOC complaint from an employee because some other employee with big tits and a beard came in for a job and I didn't know how to address them? Nah. If you've got pronouns in your bio, I will treat everyone with dignity and respect, fairness and honesty, and when I slip up, suddenly you will turn someone's poor performance in the workplace around to me as the problem. Nope. Pronouns are a red flag, a signal that there's trouble ahead, trouble that I would avoid.

And 'they' and 'them' are plural. Always were. Still are.

The Frustrating, Self-Destructive GOP - 7/15/2023

The GOP is a disaster right now. Liberals, Progressives, and Democrats ought to be quite happy with the situation. I divide the GOP into 4 groups. There is some overlap between some of the four, but the nature of them is such that there is also some areas of total separation.

First, you've got the Trump, only Trump, nobody but Trump, "We're staying home if it ain't Trump." These people would rather lose with Trump than look at the election from any other lens. To them, all other GOP candidates are the same as President Joe Biden.

Then you've got the "It don't matter anyway. The whole system is rigged and our votes are meaningless." These folks cannot believe Joe Biden got 81,000,000 votes, no way, no how. It is kinda hard to believe, ain't it. Most of these folks are also Trump supporters. There is a large overlap with the first group.

The third group likes Trump and will vote for him if he's nominated, but would prefer someone else, someone new. I am in this group. We are more interested in winning and defeating Biden than we are loyal to Trump. I don't owe Trump loyalty. I appreciate what he did for us, what he sacrificed for us, and I recognize how badly the deep state and establishment treated him. But this ain't a religion and I didn't swear an oath.

Then finally, you've got a fourth group, the never-Trump, traditional GOP globalist, establishment people. They'd rather see a Democrat win than Trump. Some, like the Lincoln Project people, are vocal and outspoken about it.

News flash: Unless these factions come together at least somewhat, Joe Biden will be re-elected, Not only will it require GOP unity to defeat him, it will also require some Democrats and a winning margin of independents. The first two of the four groups I discussed don't care at all about Democrat or Independents, or anyone who isn't totally loyal to Trump. The last (fourth) group doesn't care at all about Trump voters.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.  We're screwed.

SCOTUS and the Imbeciles - 7/1/2023

"The Supreme Court is racist against Black Americans!" Uh, no. The Supreme Court said that everyone has to be treated equally, that racial preferences, by their nature, are discriminatory against someone on the other side of the preference equation. Our country was founded on the words, "All men are created equal". Granted, it has taken us a long, long time to get here, but here we are. As they should, the court says, "Treat everyone equally."

"The Supreme Court discriminates against gay people". No they don't. They protected the right of people who prefer not to participate in publishing a website about or advocating for something against their wishes that conflicts with their religious beliefs. Of all the bakers who might decorate a cake, printers who might print your invitations, of all the web designers who can publish your website, don't go to one you know has religious objections to your content. Some religions have beliefs and practices with which some, perhaps nearly all of us, disagree. Practitioners of those religions have freedom of religion, freedom of speech. Frankly, it is clear to me that these businesses are being targeted because of their beliefs. Standards of tolerance and acceptance are being replaced with participate, advocate, and celebrate or face the consequences. Of 100 web designers, one objects to your content. As long as the other 99 are willing and able, you're not oppressed. You still want the one who objects to do it? You're not oppressed, you're an activist asshole.

"The Supreme Court made abortions illegal again." No they didn't. The Supreme Court said that abortion is not protected or addressed in the US Constitution, therefore it is a matter to be decided by the states. The ruling was NOT for or against abortion. It was simply, and correctly, asserting that the Federal government wasn't the appropriate place to render that determination.

 "The Supreme Court screwed all the people with college loan debts by deciding the program was illegal." You believe that? Really? Seemingly, the college money you borrowed was wasted. You should have gone to a school that taught about the US Constitution and the separation of powers of the US Government. You know, that whole pesky Executive, Legislative, and Judicial thing. The court could give a rat's ass if we forgive the loans or not. The court simply and correctly asserted that the power to do so is NOT vested in the Executive Branch of government, but in the Legislature. The fact that our Senate and House of Representatives are nearly useless, and that our President thinks he's a king, not the Chief Executive, isn't a SCOTUS problem.

I'm exhausted by the number of uneducated and educated imbeciles who get totally righteous and indignant over all these awful SCOTUS decisions. Illiterate about the Constitution, uneducated about the branches of our government and the functions of each, absolutely certain the Supreme Court is the problem, and unwilling to even try to understand basic US civics, including the responsibilities and authorities of Federal and State government, these people unwittingly boast about their own ignorance and stupidity time and time again. There ARE ways to codify all of the above issues into law, some or all of: Amend the US Constitution, have Congress pass a constitutional law, and or passage of laws at the State level. You want it? Feel you should get it the right way via some shortcut. The easy way out often doesn't hold up to educated scrutiny. You're pissed anyway?

Imbecile.

It's a Free Country, SCOTUS and Racial Preference in College Admission - 6/29/2023

I absolutely believe the Supreme Court got it right today in making racial preferences for or against another group as a determining factor in college enrollment. This is a sword that cuts two ways, and rightfully so. In recent times, some races and minorities have been given preferential treatment, while at the same time others were discriminated against, all in the supposed interest of fairness. Some will argue that this latest decision is an abomination and unfair. I disagree.

In my opinion, fairness means equal opportunities for all. In a meritocracy, all who would attempt to get a certain job, enroll in a school, or purchase a home in a particular area ought to have a fair and equal opportunity as everyone else, regardless of their race, or the race of others with whom they might compete for that job, school, or home. If you have the best experience, skills, and training, then the job ought to be yours. If you have the best grades and entry test scores, then the school ought to admit you. If you have the money to buy a home, your color ought to be irrelevant. That's fairness in a meritocracy. It's fair to everybody.

Lately, though, what the left has been pushing is not equal opportunity, but instead something they call equity. With equity, making sure underrepresented races are moved to the front of the line, merit be damned, is the means to their desired end. I do understand that historically some races have been suppressed in employment, education, and place of residence as a result of prejudice. This was wrong, and today's ruling affirms that it is still wrong. This was not a victory FOR racial prejudice. It is a victory for fairness and equal opportunity for all races. I especially think of Asian Americans as being victimized by equity. The Asian-American subculture often places a premium on academics and learning in the family unit that translates to superior academic prowess and achievement. Why should they be penalized because some of us, perhaps many, do not place the same kind of emphasis and effort in academics in child rearing and child raising? My answer: they ought not.

To close, let me say: if there are two perfectly equal candidates for a job or for placement in a school, I do not object to preferential treatment in that case being given to the person from a group that is underrepresented. Not in the least. Perfectly equal candidates... otherwise the best qualified should get it, period.

Everybody deserves a chance. Everybody. Even Asian-Americans who read and study a lot. Don't like it? Read a book. Study a textbook. Improve yourself. Make the changes the right way. Be the change. We all can. It's a free country. Well, it used to be, anyway.

Hunter Biden "Distractions" I call BS- 6/24/2023

I am not falling for the distractions Democrats throw out there about Joe and Hunter Biden corruption. A real quick hitter to point out my take on the excuses:

"The fact that Hunter is a deadbeat dad, had a drug problem, and did business overseas same as the Trump kids did is in no way an indication that Joe Biden is corrupt. Shame on you for shaming Joe for his son's problems."
 

Uh, bullshit. The fact that Hunter had an addiction (drugs and sex, most likely) is no reflection on Joe? Joe left his classified documents within easy access to a person who would seem at a minimum susceptible to blackmail, not to mention that both aforementioned habits are expensive and would provide quite a motive to an addict badly in need if the addict were approached by foreign operatives looking for access to them. So don't tell me one has nothing to do with the other.

And to the parallel to the Trump kids, give me a break. Yeah, you hate them because they're Trumps. I get that. But the behavior and problems Hunter Biden is known to have are a night and day difference to Trump kids who to me appear to be incredibly capable in their own right.

"Nobody in the Biden Administration, nor Joe Biden himself, and none of Joe Biden's close associates were charged by any US Attorney, meanwhile Trump is up on charges left and right in multiple jurisdictions."

If crimes are swept under the rug, are they still illegal?

This proves our Justice Department is fair and impartial exactly how?

What do I believe?

I believe Joe Biden enriched himself and all his family via third party plausibly deniable deals. These deals were in Eastern Europe and in Asia. Joe's influence was sold, both during the Biden Administration where Joe was VP, and during the Trump Administration, when he was a logical, if not likely candidate for President himself.

 

I believe Merrick Garland is an extreme partisan and political operative. I do not believe for a second he is fair, impartial, or in search of truth and righteousness. Thank God he's not on the Supreme Court! Thank the devil that he's where he's at.

You Owe Us an Apology - 6/21/2023

 

John Durham testifies to Congress.

I heard just a little bit of John Durham's testimony before Congress today. These two things jump out at me and should make every single American mad, no matter what affiliation or political leaning you have. If they don't, you're probably stupid or just a person who's so partisan that your partisanship has corrupted your sense of right and wrong. Here goes:

1. At the time Crossfire Hurricane was opened in 2016 during the election campaign, there was no evidence of Trump Russia collusion possessed by any of the US intelligence or law enforcement agencies. NONE. There was no basis to open that investigation, or the subsequent Mueller investigation except dirty politics.

2. Those same intelligence and law enforcement agencies knew, they absolutely knew, that the Trump Russia collusion allegations were a hoax originated and perpetrated by Hillary Clinton and her campaign. Comey, Clapper, Brennan, Obama, and Biden all KNEW this was the case. It was documented in a memo they shared. This memo was kept from, withheld from, hidden from the Crossfire Hurricane and Mueller investigators.

Every single person who was party to that memo, no matter where that person sits or sat in our government, belongs in prison. All of them. No exceptions. And a whole bunch of you Trump-Russia collusion parrots, all of you out there, you owe us an apology. Your people, from Saint Obama down to the lowest scumbag in justice and intelligence, committed what in my opinion is an unforgivable sin, worse than Watergate, worse than January 6th, worse than any US political dirty trick in my lifetime, maybe ever in US history.