11/14/2020 Distrust, Distrust, and More Distrust

 

Distrust

The breaking story yesterday, about how military officials lied to, or euphemistically 'misled' the President on troop levels and kept our troops in Syria, knowing full well it was against his orders infuriates me. Here's a link to the NY Post version: nypost 11/13/2020 And out of my fury, came not so much a realization, but a reality.

I no longer trust our military officials at the highest levels. This includes, but is certainly not limited to former high level USMC generals who I formerly revered and respected.

I absolutely distrust nearly the entirety of the US intelligence community. For five years these bastards have tried and in many cases succeeded in undermining the President of the United States.

I do no trust the US Dept. of State, especially career bureaucrats who think they make and manage foreign policy with authority that supersedes the President's.

I do not trust our FBI or Department of Justice personnel at the highest levels. None of them. I had hopes that AG Barr and various US Attorneys he supposedly had investigating corruption would right the wrongs of the Rosenstein, Comey, and McCabe era, but clearly I was wrong.

The only Democrat in office I trust is Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, unfortunately I don't agree with her politics enough to support her, but she seems the only one with a single iota of integrity. The rest I assume are lying whenever they speak 100% of the time.

I don't trust establishment Republicans. I don't trust the Republican Party as an entity.

I generally don't trust lawyers in politics, and I don't trust most Senators. I trust Senators who are lawyers least of all.

I don't trust corrupt elections officials. I don't know that Trump would have won, but from September, maybe before, they were doing everything they could to stack the deck.

I don't trust the result of the 2020 election. I believe there was cheating, we are being lied to, and accomplices in government and the media will swear to ANY lie they need to to advance their agenda and objectives.

I don't trust major television news on ANY of the big channels. They're far more political operative and propagandists than they are arbiters of true and accurate information.

I don't trust most political pollsters, especially those associated with aforementioned news propaganda organizations. But add in the political think tank and academia run pollsters, too. They knowingly lie and distort to put forward the narrative that best supports the political wants of their corporate and campus masters.

I don't trust big tech - Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. I don't know that this needs a lot of explanation.

I don't trust MOST of what we've been told about the CCP Virus. Yes, the virus is real. Yes, there are valid concerns and it is a real threat. But the extent of the threat and almost all the data we've been fed is inaccurate, narrative shaping bullshit.

I remember I used to wonder why it was some people liked to live in remote places in Idaho and Montana and the like, far from people and far from the reach of all of the above. The realization, or should I say the reality of that sentiment makes perfect sense to me now.

11/10/2020 -1 Happy Birthday Marines!

November 10th, 1775. To Marines, and to those who know us well, the anniversary of that historic day is celebrated every year by Marines, young and old alike. We recognize and celebrate November 10th as the USMC birthday.

It's no small thing, the Marine Corps birthday. At least to us it's not. For a 63 year old guy like me, looking back 30 years now since I last wore my USMC blues, it may have more meaning to me now than it did even then, if that's possible.

To all the Marines who came before me,

To all the Marines with whom I served,

To all the 2, 3, and 4 year Marines who do their time and serve our Corps,

To the career Marines, the Senior Staff NCOs and Officers,

To woman Marines,

To light green, drak green and Marines all colors in between,

To grunts, and supply, support, and airwing Marines,

New recruits, and ancient retired Marines,

Happy 245th birthday!

God bless America, and may God bless our beloved Marine Corps!

Ooh Rah!

11/10/2020 A Clusterf*ck of Their Own Making

Right now there are a number of reported and alleged improprieties related to the 2020 General Election. Most of them seem to emanate from Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. And while I'll get back to my feelings on that stuff in a second, first I will add that it seems incredulous to me that Arizona has taken this long to count their votes, not just mail-in, which it makes sense to me could take a while, but they've taken a week to sort out their vote, including in person and provisional ballots. It also seems crazy to me that Alaska's vote still isn't tabulated. And finally, that North Carolina came out and said that they needed 12 days to tally theirs. YGBSM!

But back to WI, MI, PA, and GA. Of the many reports of impropriety, some will turn out to have perfectly reasonable explanations, even if not sound, still reasonable. Some other reports, and contrary to the "without evidence" nonsense anti-Trumpers always claim, there are sworn affidavits, so there is evidence. Whether a sworn affidavit is ample evidence to gain a conviction is another question, but they is evidence. So don't give me that bullshit. And of those things alleged in the affidavits, some of them are going to be found valid concerns.

Were the computer systems hacked and votes changed? I don't know. I am NOT asserting they were, but neither would I affirm I'm confident they weren't. There were numerous reports of numbers fluctuating right before people's eyes into the wee hours on Election Day night.

 

Were votes cast for dead people, people who moved, and or for infrequent voters who the cheaters presumed would not vote? I would say absolutely, yes there were votes cast for those people. How many, and how would it have affected the results? I don't know, but I would like to.

Was there systemic abuse of the fraud in the paragraph immediately above this one by political operatives in an organized attempt to swing the election? Based on what I read in an affidavit, it is certainly alleged that THOUSANDS of ballots were dumped into the mix via a back door in Michigan and the ballot counter who is making the allegation said votes for the presidential election were the only votes on those ballots, and all of them that this person counted went to Joe Biden.

 

I don't know if any of the things people saw will be proven to be valid. But I do believe in "The Iceberg Theory". The Iceberg Theory, put simply, says that for all the problems you see and that are reported, there is a lot more that you can't see, hiding below the surface. I believe, starting with the Russia Collusion Hoax, the Mueller Scam, the Scam Impeachment, that Democratic Party operatives and bureaucrats inside our government agencies have tried everything and anything within and outside the law to undermine and unseat President Trump. And I also remember that every single time Trump challenged the bullshit that was being perpetrated on him, and by extension, on those of us who voted for and supported him, the media and the left in unison claimed it was "without evidence". So when I hear you saying "without evidence" now, it rings hollow in my ears.

Do I know there was malfeasance at least by individuals in the 2020 election? Yes, there was some. Do I believe every one of the claims of fraud and malfeasance being made out there? No, some of it is surely speculation grown into conspiracy theory. The only way to get to the bottom if it is to look into it, and we should be looking into it right now, as AG Barr is reported to be doing. If you're a Democrat and you're pissed that Trump is raining on Joe's parade, get over it. For four f*cking years your party and its operatives have been raining down bullshit and hoax after hoax on the Trump candidacy, transition, and presidency. It's a clusterf*ck of Democrats own making. They made the bed, now they can lie in it. If you think miraculously we're supposed to accept that you motherf*ckers are acting with integrity and honesty after all that, you can f*cking forget about it. Fuggedaboudit.

Some legitimate questions:

• Did nonresidents vote?
• Was there double voting?
• Did dead people vote?
• Did illegal aliens vote?
• Was there ballot harvesting?
• Were spoiled ballots improperly counted?
• Was ballot tracking software used to harvest ballots?

11/9/2020 A Mail In Ballot Fact of Life

Just a quick hitter this morning about the use of mail-in ballots on a massive scale. Set aside the whole debate and all the legal action going on about mail-in voting in the 2020 General Election. I'm not claiming those things didn't happen, or that none of it will be proven, but I'm skeptical that President Trump's legal challenges will change the outcome. And for all the talk bout mail in and absentee ballots, there is very little about an aspect of it I believe to be a nearly undeniable truth.

President Trump's supporters, in pre-election poll after poll expressed more enthusiasm for voting for President Trump than did Joe Biden's. In a normal election year without the virus, it's likely that a percentage, probably small but significant of those less enthusiastic voters might not have made it to the polls. But absentee voting is easy, especially when your state doesn't need you to expend the minimal effort it would take to request an absentee ballot. You simply check your mailbox one day and a ballot is there. After filling in a few bubbles with a black or blue ball point pen, you put it into the postage pre-paid envelope provided, sign it on the flap, seal it closed, then put it back out for your mail carrier to pick up. Voila! You just voted. Or maybe your adult children living at home weren't inclined to vote. A household that would have yielded 2 votes at the polls yields 3 or 4 with just a small bit of parental encouragement with the mail-in system.

Again, putting aside concerns about fraud or ballot box stuffing, Democrats were genius for pushing everyone to mail-in voting in the year of Covid-19. Nobody should disregard the impact on the election of getting ballots back from a large number of (slightly?) less enthusiastic voters had on the outcome. And if mail-in voting becomes a norm in our country, then campaigns and candidate marketing strategies have to either find means of appealing to these voters, or be left holding the bag at traditional polling places.  President Trump and Republicans made a case against mail-in that had "Vote at the polls on Election Day" as its punchline. It probably didn't change their final tally much. Democrats encouraged voters to vote by mail from the very beginning, switching only to encourage people to go to the polls for early voting or on Election Day only AFTER cultivating a significant mail-in response. The record turnout was in part due to voter enthusiasm, either for or against Trump, and due to Democrats, mostly, executing an effective mail-in strategy during the pandemic.

GOP: the future is here. Mail-in isn't going away. Get on board or be left behind sulking. Your choice.

11/8/2020 Election Reforms - If not Now, Never? Unacceptable!

 

What is going on in my country right now, in OUR country, and you should be embarrassed, too, is an embarrassment. It is an embarrassment, and it is unacceptable. It is time for some reasonable, minimum set of standards to be adopted nationwide for federal elections, i.e. for the House, the Senate, and for President and Vice President.

1. Registered voter lists need to be kept up to date. Whether a voter changes party affiliation, moves to a different part of their state, to a different state, is convicted of a felony and loses eligibility, or becomes deceased, with today's available technology, there's no excuse for the kind of stuff we saw in many states this year: mail in ballots for 10 and 15 different people who no longer reside there sent to addresses, etc. While there are some people who don't file one, I suggest that somehow the information on our tax returns is a good starting point for ensuring our voter registration is up to date and more importantly, that our local, state, and federal registration rolls are accurate.

2. We ought to have a national standard for, and a requirement to have a voter identification card. Absentee and vote by mail voters can use whatever identification number is on the card to certify it's their vote.

3. There was never a time I wouldn't have said vote by mail is an invitation to fraud. I don't like it at all, but I suppose it's here to stay. A postmark should be required, and the postmark deadline should be several days before Election Day, enough time so that ballots, with perhaps some exceptions in very limited cases wouldn't create the post Election Day counting nightmare we see this morning. There is no reason whatsoever that justifies counting only Election Day votes, and saving mail in and absentee votes (or vice versa) for counting afterward. Election Day is Election Day. If you want to mail it in, then mail it in time to arrive BEFORE Election Day to be counted on or by Election Day. The 12 days bullshit going on this cycle in North Carolina is an embarrassment and unacceptable.

4. Speaking of counting nightmares, there ought to be a better method for counting ballots and allowing access to observers than fighting in court over who can and can't observe, and where they can and can't observe from. I don't know how exactly to fix this, but it's broken.

5. Could we make Election Day last for 24, 48, or 72 hours and close all the polls in all the states at the same time? And let's consider either making Election Day a national holiday, or moving it to the weekend. A 48 hour period on the first Saturday and Sunday in November would be ideal.

Look, the fact that we are still counting many votes for the first time, not a recount, but the first count, is ridiculous. It's an embarrassment. And now that we're 5 days past Election Day, every hour that passes creates new opportunities for chicanery: Malarkey, as the senile man is known to call it.

A note while closing: my recently adopted home state, Florida (our home state since 2016), was an embarrassment and fiasco in 2000 during the famous Bush-Gore race with it's recounting, hanging chads, and post-Election Day legal wrangling. In the 20 years since, Florida has mostly figured it out. Perfect? No. Room for improvement still? Probably so. But as bad as all that was, all the votes got counted on Election Day and over the course of that night. For Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina to still as of this writing NOT have an initial, comprehensive tally of votes is an embarrassment. Election officials in thos states ought to be ashamed.

Now stop reading and get back to counting!

11/7/2020 Getting it Off My Chest - The Joe Biden Edition

 

First off, there is NOTHING you can tell me that will convince me there wasn't widespread cheating in the election. So don't even fucking try. What I don't know is how much cheating was there, and how significantly did it change the race? Maybe Joe would've won anyway. But if you want to argue that things were all on the up and up, shove "things were on the up and up" up your ass. It'll be more productive than trying, at this juncture, to convince me, without evidence, that there was no corruption in it. And when you come up with evidence there was no corruption that comes from the same lying bastards who were part, either overt or covert, of the resistance and opposition operations the last 4 years, you're just going to piss me off. So don't. Just fucking don't. Leave well enough alone. I'm far less likely to tell you to eat shit and die if we don't talk about it and you're not going to convince me, anyway.

I've already seen prominent Democrats talk about making lists of Trump supporters and Trump defenders so that they can make sure that they pay a price. Are you fucking kidding me? You lying pieces of shit said Joe was the guy who was going to unify us. He was the centrist who could bring us together. Well how about this? Shut the motherfuckers who want to start a civil war by seeking retribution (FOR FUCKING WHAT ASSHOLES!?!?!?) the fuck up, that ain't going to bring us together. Same goes for going after Trump now to punish him. I fully expect it and it ain't going to be pretty. Joe needs to step up here and be the unifier he said he would be. Going full social justice cancel culture warrior after Trump and Trump supporters ain't what we need, and if it's pursued and you don't speak up loudly and clearly in opposition to same (looking at you and Joe, liberal friends), then you vindictive pieces of shit can fuck off and get out of my life. And Joe, if you think going after Trump with more bogus allegations now that you can put the corrupt criminals you and Obama had in place BACK in place is going to unify us, it's not.

Joe is talking about eliminating online gun and ammo sales, and taxing us on our legal guns. This election didn't overturn the Constitution. No. Don't fucking do it, Joe. Don't fucking do it.

Joe's immigration policies to me sound like a full embrace of illegal immigration, putting out the welcome mat for all illegal comers at US taxpayer's expense. Do you know what would keep kids out of cages, Joe? A fucking wall would, Joe. A fucking wall. You want to fix immigration? I'm in. Then fix immigration with real reforms, common sense reforms.

Hey, Joe. Show me how, exactly and specifically, you're going to eliminate the Trump tax cuts AND not increase taxes on anyone making under $400,000 a year. Because that tax cut was a tax cut for me. If you eliminate it, my taxes go up. It was just another election lie, wasn't it, Joe? I know, that's what you do and that's how it works.

I'm not 100% sure if Joe was actively complicit in any of the many Hunter Biden pay for access and influence corruptions, or if he's just been covering for his criminal son. But Hunter's criminal selling of influence is a vulnerability for Joe, make no mistake about it.

Joe picked an extremely liberal running mate. Of 535 Senators and Congresspersons, she's among the last 15 or 20 who I'd like to see rise to be our chief executive. We're one heartbeat away from a simply awful person as president. She prostituted herself to gain a foot in the door of California politics, and she'll be prostituting America if she ever becomes President. It crosses my mind sometimes that Joe picked her because he knew we'd be reluctant to impeach him because she'd be the outcome. She's not a unifier, Joe.

Don't pack the court, Joe. Just don't. You wouldn't answer the question during the campaign. Nor would you name who you'd consider for a future Supreme Court vacancy. Funny how the press let you slide on that. Trump gave us a list and was forthright with court appointments. You were too much of a pussy to take a fucking stand on even this.

Critical race theory, stamping out (bogus) white privilege, blaming everything bad that happens on white supremacists (some of whom are blacks and Hispanics), and the slavery reparations nonsense isn't going to unify us Joe. Blaming everything people don't like on "systemic racism" isn't unifying, either, Joe.

Hey Joe, guess what we do need? We need election reforms. We need certain standardized rules and processes. I realize since I'm the enemy and I'm probably on your targeted list of people to be punished, you don't give a shit about me or my opinion, but election reform would be good for our nation. Having partisan political operatives (I have one FB friend who called them bi-partisan, ha ha, laughable) shield observers from oversight, those same partisans counting ballots in private, and having different rules, systems, deadlines, etc. not only in different states, but often in different jurisdictions within a state, is a recipe for distrust and disaster. This time it worked in your favor. Regardless, it needs to be fixed, Joe.

Measure twice and cut once. Figure out all the implications of the Green New Deal, make the long list of losers, and make goddamned sure those of us who will be adversely impacted, either our jobs, or our investments of retirement funds in US companies that aren't green enough for your activist friends are looked after appropriately. Hint: most of the people who will be punished hardest by the green new deal aren't going to learn to be computer programmers or repair guys, they're NOT going to become barristers at Starbuck's, and they're not going to move to China to chase manufacturing jobs there. So figure out who's going to get fucked royally by the Green New Deal and figure out how to un-fuck them in advance before you shove a 2 x 4 up their ass sideways. I know most of your East Coast, West Coast, and urban elites absolutely hate these people, you know how they really feel about the uneducated, uncouth blue collar working stiffs. But even though your elitist constituents hate them and their livelihoods, you're going to be their President. Fucking them all over and asking everyone to thank you for being such a wonderful President for the environment isn't very unifying, Joe. $4 to $8 dollar a gallon gas is going to cost a lot of working stiffs, Joe. Some of them don't have mass transit to get to work, to the grocery, to the doctor, etc. Will you measure all that, or will you look the other way?

Measure twice, cut once. You and President Obama were so fucking clever with Obamacare. You can keep your doctor. You can keep your insurance. Some of us, myself included, lost their doctors. Some lost their insurance. Yeah they did. For example, every UPS working spouse was forced off the rolls of UPS' insurance plan. Seemed like a good idea, but many people who were happy with what they had, and paying what they had to to get it, got screwed as a direct consequence of a plan that supposedly wasn't going to cause us to lose out. Shit, some people lost their doctor AND their insurance. I'm not saying it wasn't well-intended, I'm saying that for all the people it helped, a lot of people got screwed, too. And the payoff, that prices would go down? Nobody's fucking costs went down, Joe. So now you're coming back in and your progressives are going to be hot to trot to do this again. Well, how about you guys look at how moving further in this direction affects EVERYONE, and take care of the people who are going to get screwed?

Hey, Joe. Other than that, congratulations. I wish you all the luck in the world.

11/5/2020 My Weber Genesis E330

 

Yesterday in the aftermath of Election Day, I was in a sleep deprived state of consciousness. I wrote a short blog post, and I even took a nap. My productivity level wasn't very high. But I did spend an hour or so cleaning up our grill. The grill is a Weber Genesis E330, and it's a little over 4 years old. I couldn't be happier with it. These grills are pricey, but worth it. I'd say unequivocally that I got my money's worth out of this grill, but I didn't. It was a gift to me, a cherished gift from the amazing people I worked with in UPS Flight Operations on the occasion of my retirement, more than 4 years ago now. The friends who put in for this unexpected and still deeply appreciated gift, they're the ones who got their money's worth!

 

 

 

You may not be able to see it too well from the pictures I took yesterday, but on the right side, the E330 has the side burner. Side burners are interesting. People either use them and feel they're an absolute necessity, or they don't and find them a waste of money. I'm a side burner guy. My favorite use for the burner is to saute the peppers and onions for my "last meal request", sausages with peppers and onions. The sauteed garlic, peppers and onions done just right are incredible, but they can stink up a kitchen for a long time, but by cooking them outside, that problem is solved. I also like the side burner for making bacon. It keeps the spatter out of the kitchen. So you grillers, are you a side burner person, or a no side burner person?

 

And by the way, I deep clean the grill a couple of times a year. That's all it really takes. I clean the stainless steel exterior, which does get a little dirty each time I use it and needs the cleanings, with baking soda and white vinegar. It's amazing on stainless steel and makes it look almost new. The grates I clean with the citrus grill cleaning stuff you can get at Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowe's. And down in the inside, I use a 1-1/2" plastic putty knife and push all the grease and charred stuff and ash down into the bottom and then into the drip pan. A clean grill cooks better and food tastes better from it.

 

Aren't you glad I didn't write about the election?

 

Have a great day, friends! God bless.