We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
I’m basically a kid. Sure I’m 55 going on 56, and I am starting to feel the aches and pains which we associate with age. Herniated and bulging discs make moving difficult sometimes. I have to watch what I eat and work out regularly to keep weight off. I miss the days of eating as much as I want, and as indiscriminately as I did. Bags of chips, tubs of ice cream, a whole pizza. Those days are memories. But one thing keeps me young. Sports. I love sports of all kinds.
I played soccer and beach volleyball in my youth, but really enjoyed being team statistician for basketball. I love numbers, and sports are about numbers. Sabermetrics got me back into baseball after all the scandals and negative stories of the 80's and 90's caused me to lose interest. When you get right down to it, sports are a great combination of the things I love. Physical activity, competition, and data.
But one sport has always been my favorite. Football. Never played it, always loved it. Especially one team in particular, where the team is mostly religion.
The city I grew up in has a rich history, and is a great place to visit. Even after my family moved when I was 10, I continued to love the city and its teams. Starting my career, I landed in New York City, making it nearly impossible to get (at least unbiased) sports information. I then married into a family of New York sports fans. I affectionately call ours a mixed marriage. Believe me, there is no love lost between New York and Philadelphia. Twice a year, at least, my wife and I have difficult days. I have had to root for her (not her team, just her happiness) in the Super Bowl twice. Very painful....but it’s what we do.
So I am fully aware of her pain this past weekend. I did not ask her to root for my team, and I know she struggled. Marriages have their rocky moments. Pun intended.
Let’s put it this way: if this sort of thing had gone on under President Trump or even George W. Bush, the Times would have announced the news in front-page headlines so large it would have taken two strong men just to carry the letters to the press room. An enormous collection of Times reportage on the subject—with a black cover and some title like “The Path to Tyranny”—would have been on the bookstore shelves within the month.
When the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles meet Sunday for the Super Bowl, they'll play inside the newly completed U.S. Bank Stadium near downtown Minneapolis. The $1.1 billion stadium was built with almost $500 million from state and local taxpayers, with the city paying an additional $7.5 million each year for operations and maintenance.
Looks like a Dayquil day for Bird Dog. How about you? Maybe even a Nyquil nap later. Good day to feel lousy. Mrs. BD going to ballet and luncheon with a friend, and I'll organize a pile of paperwork. Or not.
... all these insiders were playing the careerist odds. What we view as reprehensible behavior, they at the time considered wise investments that would earn rewards with an ascendant President Hillary Clinton.
Sara Carter is reporting that agents have accused McCabe of pressuring them to change the information on their FBI witness interrogation forms. If true, this will be the greatest level of corruption ever demonstrated at the top of the FBI, surpassing even their coverups for Whitey Bulger. This is perjury, and suborning of perjury.
Carter says that this is the evidence that was shown to Wray just yesterday, leading to McCabe’s immediate removal from his position. If Sara Carter is correct, McCabe could be charged with crimes leading to 20 years in a federal prison.
The simple fact is that Donald Trump’s unlikely presidency has become an unlikely success. The economy is booming. He’s doing what he promised with foreign policy and regulations. He’s outmaneuvered the Democrats again and again on illegal aliens. He’s got the momentum. And the liberals are desperate to stop him – no matter how much doing so will hurt Normal Americans.
Truth? Scalps? I have no idea. Since he has a prosecutorial role, one thing I suspect is that he has given up on the Russia-Russia thing and is looking for process misdeeds or, perhaps, looking to provoke process misdeeds. That's what they managed to do to Flynn, who did nothing wrong except to speak to the FBI without a lawyer. Never ever do that, even if they say they just want an informal chat and you know you're clean. The Feds set traps. It is a very ugly business.
Thus, even if there is no Russia story to pursue, he can try to pursue Trump and his people on their efforts and wishes to make this entire annoyance go away. Obstruction, and the like, even if there was no wrong-doing at the heart of it. Trump, as a blustery shoot-from-the-hip businessman who likes to fire disloyal people and has no legal background and minimal legal thinking, is raw meat for this sort of thing.
My guess is that Trump is talking to his lawyers like any ordinary citizen: "WTF? I did nothing wrong, and these a-holes are tangling me up in this BS and getting in my way. Just fire these jerks."
I just hope that there are some honorable citizens in DC. Count me skeptical.
Russia-gate has become so central to the Washington establishment’s storyline that there appears to be no room for second-thoughts or turning back. The momentum is such that some Democrats and the media never-Trumpers can’t stop stoking the smoke of Russia-gate and holding out hope against hope that it will somehow justify Trump’s impeachment.
Yet, the sordid process of using legal/investigative means to settle political scores further compromises the principle of the “rule of law” and integrity of journalism in the eyes of many Americans. After a year of Russia-gate, the “rule of law” and “pursuit of truth” appear to have been reduced to high-falutin’ phrases for political score-setttling, a process besmirched by Republicans in earlier pursuits of Democrats and now appearing to be a bipartisan method for punishing political rivals regardless of the lack of evidence.
Not really a fight. The thing got Peterson even more attention. As a bravely rational guy, he deserves it. We linked the nutty, now-viral interview here. I think Ms. Newman is now hiding under her futon.
They look at the interview but then go deeper into the Peterson view of life in general, because this is a genuinely curious interviewer.
People Are Actually Considering Not Having Kids
Looks like a Dayquil day for Bird Dog. How about you? Maybe even a Nyquil nap later. Good day to feel lousy. Mrs. BD going to ballet and luncheon with a friend, and I'll organize a pile of paperwork. Or not.
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Woman Identified As Inspiration