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.
This is either endlessly amusing or endlessly pathetic.
Or both.
For the background, you'll want to read the only real-time evolving post I've ever written. Glenn Reynolds liked it so much he gave it a link when the madness was over.
And, of course, as the holiday shopping season advances further and further every year, and more and more people buy their presents at some "Pre-Christmas Summer Close-Out Sale", fewer and fewer people spend their money during December, the actual holiday shopping season.
As such, every year after Christmas, the major chains complain more and more about how holiday sales were "disappointing". Every year, a longer season, and a bigger disappointment.
Now, in a rational world, the retailers would recognize this terrible trend and do something to counter it. Like, oh, actually leaving the holiday shopping season for the holidays.
Despite the loud sighs and eye rolling that usually occurs when shoppers see Christmas decorations in stores parked next to an aisle of Halloween candy, shoppers are taking advantage of the layaway programs, the toy reservation schemes and early discounting as a way to soften the holiday’s blow to the household budget.
If you read my article, you'll recognize 'early discounting' as one of the innumerable, interminable reasons for the disappointing season.
But wait, you cry! That's just one silly article. Surely, the media isn't actually going to fall for such tomfoolery, are they?
We were driving around blue New England yesterday. We did not see a single Obama bumper sticker or yard sign. We saw one Romney yard sign. They might vote Blue, but the thrill is gone. We even saw a number of Priuses with the factory-installed Obama stickers removed or painted over.
I had more good recent links on the topic, but I lost them in cyberspace. The governments of the world, and the UN, seem to be on a big censorship kick these days. While we can assume that governments love censorship to protect themselves, it seems to me that the latest excuse is fear of Muslim barbarianism.
Muslims deeply offend my Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist friends daily. Let them, as long as it is just hateful and crazy words. Good manners cannot be made illegal: we'd all end up in trouble for talking with food in our mouths.
Governments always make an excuse to exert control and power over their citizens. For their own good, of course.
My pic of a Congregational church carriage shed, just north of Hanover, New Hampshire. You'd be assigned a pew, and horse-and buggy shelter, by seniority. This was at a time when Congo services went on for several hours, at the least. Needed to protect horse, and buggy or wagon, from the northern elements.
In their desperation to avoid responsibility for the Benghazi debacle, Obama and Biden have pointed fingers in two directions: at the intelligence community for reporting incorrectly that the incident was a protest over a YouTube video clip, and at the State Department for not providing adequate security for the Ambassador.
Romney's Bain Capital, the object of constant Democratic denigration, invested private money in the following companies:
• AMC Entertainment • Burger King • Burlington Coat Factory • Clear Channel Communications • Dominos Pizza • Dunk n' Donuts • Guitar Centers • The Sports Authority • Staples • Toys "R" US • Warner Music Group
By all accounts, the main issue in this presidential race is jobs and their creation. One can only imagine the aggregate employment created by these companies. Once again, the key phrase here is "private money."
President Obama, playing businessman with your money, invested in:
• Solyndra • Ener 1 • Beacon Power • Abound Solar • Amonix Solar • Spectra Watt • Eastern Energy
All of these companies have two things in common: they were, coincidently, all contributors to Obama's campaign, and eventually all went bankrupt.
I’ve spent my whole life hating the Cardinals. If I were to find an actual cardinal in the forest, twittering with happiness in the dappled sunlight, and I could get it to fly gently into my hand, I would squeeze it until I heard all its little bones break like tiny little twigs.
Power breeds paranoia and every group jealously hoards its privileges fearful that they will be taken away. The more these groups demand their rights, the more certain it is that they are already abusing the rights of others. When they call for freedom, they mean power. When they call for equality, they mean privilege. When they denounce hate, they justify their own hate. When they complain about the culture of bigotry, they are expressing how much they hate others.
"Joe, are Iranian nukes really such a hilarious topic?"
"Joe, I am a fellow American citizen trying to talk with you and, as such, I expect as much respectful behavior as I offer you. In fact, as a fellow citizen, I'd expect you to at least listen to my opinion before giggling like a girl."
You don’t win a nationally televised debate by being rude and obnoxious. You don’t win by interrupting your opponent time after time after time or by being a blowhard. You don’t win with facial expressions, especially smirks or fake laughs, or by pretending to be utterly exasperated with what your opponent is saying.
Also, read Bruce's post from last night.
RNC instant ad:
Ryan's main job was to establish serious credibility. Seems like he accomplished that. Seems like Biden acted like a drunk in a bar even if he won or tied on points scored. Bad optics, not gentlemanly or dignified.
The following appeared at Contentions blog today. I'm reprinting it all for you to read. If you belong to one of these denominations, you might contact your local church's leadership and demand that this letter be protested. As this commentary says, "It should be specified that in most cases, these positions are largely the work of a small group of left-wing activists that dominate the public affairs policy work of their churches. Most rank-and-file members of Presbyterian, Lutheran and Methodist churches are, like most Americans, strong supporters of Israel and have little idea that this assault on Israel is being done in their name. But it is incumbent on them as well as other decent church leaders to denounce this letter and other BDS activities."
If you are not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
For mainstream American Jewish groups, it has long been an article of faith that strong alliances with liberal Protestant denominations with whom they shared a common agenda on domestic issues is integral to the safeguarding of the security and the rights of the Jewish community. That has been tested in recent years, as some of their liberal Christian partners debated supporting efforts to boycott, divest and sanction the state of Israel. But the latest instance of liberal Christians attacking Israel ought to cut the cord completely.
Hey, if you've been hoarding Krugerrands since Nancy Pelosi hove into view, have I got good news for you! Marketwatch says gold's at $17,727 an ounce right now. Think of all the ammo and beans you can buy with a pound or two of your wife's melted jewelry today.
Into each life some rain must fall, though. I wonder what a gallon of gas is going to cost tomorrow now that a barrel of oil is worth $9228. I'd fill up today before they change the signs, if I were you. Marketwatch. For the Lulz.
Not since World War Two has a great economy been as mismanaged as badly as the EU has fouled up the eurozone. For the hundreds of thousands of Europeans who have lost their jobs and life savings, the consequences of that mismanagement are very real. Is the answer to this catastrophe really “more Europe?” Do the authorities in Brussels really need more power — or deserve more public trust?
Today's announcement of the inaugural journalistic losers who won the Walter Duranty Prize for Journalistic Mendacity merits recognition:
First Place: Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Magazine, and Joan Juliet Buck, Author "For their stunning achievements in exemplifying the spirit of Walter Duranty, for their combined use of gumshoe reporting, headline packaging, impeccable timing and fearless dismissal of facts to produce Vogue's 2011 cover story, "Asma al-Assad: A Rose in the Desert."
First Runner Up: Bob Simon, 60 Minutes/CBS "For the gross distortions in his CBS' 60 Minutes episode, "Christians of the Holy Land."
Second Runner Up: Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic "For his unsupported accusation, unfounded claims and multiple blog postings asserting that Trig Palin is not Sarah Palin's own son."
Last April, I wrote that the qualifications for the new Walter Duranty Prize for dishonest reporting that caused great harm should parallel Walter Duranty's infamous career. At least the first and second prize losers who won meet the criteria, but the third place loser who won dates back 4-years, doesn't involve foreign policy or foreign affairs, and -- simply -- is such a disregarded fool that he doesn't even merit being beneath contempt. Further, my suggestion of the fourth qualification, to also honor a journalist who really merits it for courage and insight, was not taken up. Below are the four qualifications that I proposed:
1.In parallel to the reportage by Walter Duranty, the prize for dishonest reporting should be reporting on a foreign country. Walter Duranty’s infamous whitewashing of the starvation and death of millions of Ukrainians in 1932-3 will be hard to exceed, but there are enough terrible instances of widespread state brutality today that journalists who espouse the state line or distort the facts should be the priority.
2.In parallel to the reportage by Walter Duranty, the prize for dishonest reporting should be to a bureau chief for a major news agency, newspaper, or other prominent media, as Walter Duranty was the longtime bureau chief in Moscow for the New York Times. This ties the responsibility directly to the owners of the venue.
3.In parallel to the reportage by Walter Duranty, the prize for dishonest reporting should be the recipient of an award for journalism, as Walter Duranty was of the Pulitzer Prize for his. This ties the responsibility to the journalism profession.
For the presentation and more about the winning losers, read here. The recipients were not at the award ceremony, unless they were under the tables in their normal poses.
We proffered, on Monday, the theory that the media made a big deal about Obama losing the debate so as not to admit that Romney positivelywon with overwhelming presence, presence of mind, and firepower against a perfectly acceptable Obama presentation. To focus on Obama's loss is to diminish Romney's success - that's what we said. When winning a tennis match because your opponent had a broken arm, you deserve no credit - but Obama had no broken arm.
Just one more good Maggie's insight, utterly ignored by the world outside our farm and our friendly coterie of readers.
Today, Ann Althouse posts the same theory. What happens? She gets linked by Insty and then para-quoted by Rush on the radio. Dang! Rush doesn't even know we exist!
I know it's small of me to even care, but, darn it, life isn't fair. (And no, I don't think Ann reads Maggie's. Wish she did because she's likeable enough.)
Forty years ago, affirmative action (designed for Americans With Some African Genetics) was instituted on a temporary basis in an effort to make up for years of presumed socio-economic marginalization, or as compensation for a history of American slavery, or as a political maneuver, or something.
As a concept, it seems unconstitutional on its face. Today, it seems like insidious nonsense (eg, Is Obama more a black man or a white man? Or does the one-drop rule apply?).
The progressives on the Court are likely to desire to continue this unconstitutional entitlement for another 40 years or, God knows, forever. Why? Who knows? A reflex to condescension? Justice Kennedy is probably the swing vote. Here's Justice Kennedy and Affirmative Action.
I think affirmative action is insulting and condescending. Some related items:
Fire Dept of NYC required by judge to alter entry exam until racially balanced. I've seen plenty of Irish, Italian, and Hispanic NYC firemen, some black guys, but never an Asian fireman (are Indians also Asians? At some point, one can begin to sound like a Nazi with all of this genetic obesession).
NAACP goes after admissions policies at NYC's three elite high schools (once majority Jewish, now overwhelmingly Asian): NAACP Tries to Kill the Golden Goose.
Because of all of the bright and ambitious new Asians, the gene counters are beginning to categorize Asians as "White." It's all insane because we're all the same species of ape: Homo semi-sapiens.
It must be clear that I hate the idea of racial or ethnic discrimination in academia or in employment of any sort, but it doesn't happen these days because people will hire anybody who can get the job done. However, I think there are two subtle factors which might be holding back opportunities for Americans with African genes: 1, you can't be sure they aren't affirmative action applicants and, 2, if they don't work out in a position, there can be hell to pay to get rid of them because of their privileged situation. Just ask any HR department about this.
Firing Barack Obama for poor performance would go a long way towards integrating Americans with Some African Genes into the normal mainstream of American life. The Peter Principle knows neither skin tone nor gender.
A new comet has been discovered that is predicted to blaze incredibly brilliantly in the skies during late 2013. With a perihelion passage of less than two million kilometres from the Sun on 28 November 2013, current predictions are of an object that will dazzle the eye at up to magnitude —16. That's far brighter than the full Moon. If predictions hold true then C/2012 S1 will certainly be one of the greatest comets in human history, far outshining the memorable Comet Hale-Bopp of 1997 and very likely to outdo the long-awaited Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) which is set to stun in March 2013.
Comet brightness prediction, as evidenced by comets Kohoutek in '73 and Hale-Bopp in '96, both of which failed to live up to expectations, is a very imprecise science at best. Many comets have large 'outbursts' at great distance but tend to wane as they get closer to Earth. But both of the upcoming ones mentioned in the article look promising.
Astronomers predict that the comet will pass just 1.16 million miles from the Sun as it swings around its perihelion, or closest approach. (This may seem like a lot, but remember—the Sun is big. If we were to scale the Sun down to the size of Earth, the comet would pass well within the orbits of dozens of satellites.) The close approach will melt enormous amounts of the comet’s ice, releasing dust and gas and forming what should be a magnificent tail.
One of the most wonderful things which will come with a Romney presidency is that Romney will finally, once again, separate Church and State. The president, finally, will just be a man. Not a perfect man. Not a prefigurement of Jesus. Not a prophet and not a savoir.
Just a man. A good man, and a smart man. But ultimately just a man.
Sesame Street, a non-profit arm of PBS, makes over $200 million in profit each year. I think the show is retarded but, regardless, why does it need my money? Furthermore, I think the idea of government support of media is profoundly un-American. The nation and the world are going to hell, and Obama is advertising about Big Bird. Romney only brought it up as an example of something we ought not to be borrowing money from China to support.
And just why do I remember it well? Because a Republican was in the White House at the time so the MSM went nuts over the escalating gas prices and every third article was about high gas prices and if only we had a reasonable person in the White House gas prices would be lower — and accompanying the articles came a bunch of cartoons and photochops and GIF animations on the subject which I faithfully collected in my Art Gallery and have occasionally looked at over the years.
That's why I remember it well. I cheated.
In honor of those glorious days of yesteryear, I have forthwith ported over said Gallery collection for your whimsical sighing over happier times gone by, back in the good old days when gas was a mere $3 a gallon.
On Columbus Day, Mitt Romney went to the Virginia Military Institute to outline a starkly different foreign policy vision from President Obama’s approach of apologizing for America, ignoring Islamism, mistreating our allies and embracing our enemies.
Is that a temporary bounce? Or is it that people just hadn't seen unfiltered Romney and were happy to see a credible, appealing alternative to the Obama administration? At the least, it tells me that many people are openminded about considering Romney.
Contrary to many or most news reports, I don't think that Obama "lost" the debate. To emphasize that is to minimize Romney's positive accomplishment. I think Romney "won," won by being a more impressive, knowledgeable, and serious figure.
By the way, where are all the Obama bumper stickers this year?
The despairing but amusing and detailed post at Zero Hedge begins with this fine paragraph:
The majority of Americans seem OK with just waddling through life, accepting the lies and misinformation blasted from the boob tube and their various iGadgets by their owners, gorging themselves to death on Twinkies and Cheetos, paying 15% interest on their $10,000 rolling credit card balance, and growing ever more dependent on the welfare/warfare state to provide and protect them from accepting personal responsibility for their lives. A minority of critical thinking people have chosen to question everything they see and hear being spewed at us by the propagandist mainstream media, the corporate fascist government, and the powerful banking cabal that has an iron grip upon our throats as they choke the life out of the global economy in their never ending desire for more riches and more power.
Read it all. He predicts decline, mostly due to American character weakness and degeneracy.
North Providence retiree Jamie Reilly left her job as a secretary at age 50, thinking her 30 years of state employment would mean good benefits during her later years. But now she said she may be forced to re-enter the workforce at age 55 because the state has put off pension increases.
"I counted on that money," Reilly said of the increases, which she estimates would have started at $700 to $1,000 a year. "I retired knowing I was going to get a certain amount of money. You work all your life and you plan, and they take it away from you."
The real criterion, of course, would be propensity to violence. If a group shows a propensity to violence when its icons are criticized, then it would in practice receive special protection under the 21st-century blasphemy prohibitions. Those advocating for such rules either don’t understand the incentive system this would create, or don’t care.
Last Wednesday, Zbigniew Brzezinski–yes, that Zbigniew Brzezinski, the one from the Carter administration–added his voice to the chorus of those calling for restrictions on free speech:
“I would like us to make it more explicit to the Muslim world: we not only condemn (the YouTube video), but if there are evil forces at work trying to provoke violence between us and you, we have the obligation to investigate and crack down.”
Be careful, Zbig. You are making me very angry with that kind of speech. Maybe we need to crack down on that kind of disturbing speech.
Pic: It's Oktoberfest. That's my beer and smokes from the deck of a Danube riverboat a couple of years ago. Just a boatride. Yes, that is the original Czech Budweiser
The Obama of the imagination is the media’s Obama. Out of their fascination with the color of his skin and their mindless awe at his windy teleprompted rhetoric, they constructed a man of stature and accomplishment. Now, with the White House on the line, they’re waging an ongoing battle against the undeniable evidence that he has never been, in fact, that man. The result in these quadrennial autumn days has been media coverage of a fantasy election, an election in the news that may bear no relation whatsoever to the election as it is.
*Yet Another In An Endless String Of
Companies 
How Do Vultures 
Excellent t-shirt is h/t the excellent 
Man, does this tick me off.
Ya gotta laugh about this PBS/Big Bird thing.
It's Cristoforo Colombo Day here in the USA
Image via