The "Young" Turks' Ana Kasparian: Yes It's True, I've Left the Left

If you don't know who Ana Kasparian is, she's part of the "Young" (they're not young) Turks podcast. The podcast consists of people who are simultaneously very hard-left socialists, but also unrepetentantly assholish Vote Blue No Matter Who Democrat Party shills.

She was sexually assaulted by a homeless man a few years ago. This caused her to start reconsidering the nonsense she'd been parroting for years about letting all of the criminals out of the jails.

The left responded by calling her a racist (they assumed the attacker was black, like good anti-racists; in fact, he was white) and a Trump shill.

She now confirms what many critics had accused her of: Yes, she's left the left.

Literally mugged by reality.

Independent and Unaligned
You're right, I've changed.

After Trump came onto the political scene, and especially after he was elected in 2016, the us-vs-them mentality immediately took shape. Anyone who refused to "resist Trump" was seen as a threat to the country, and I was fully on board with that mindset.

It all felt righteous at first. But eventually, the tactics deployed to fight Trump became repetitive, boring and ultimately fruitless. Polling shows that he has increased his support among Black and Latino voters despite wall-to-wall coverage on his unsavory, racist or bigoted remarks. Several years of media raising alarm over Trump's threat to democracy has only resulted in a tight presidential race between himself and Kamala Harris.

I can't help but acknowledge that the only thing that was accomplished by resisting Trump was less understanding and more division among Americans. I personally became reluctant to challenge my "side" or engage with voters who disagreed with me. In turn, I became less knowledgeable about the people and world around me. I saw Republican voters as an evil monolith and that was a big mistake.

My evolution started in 2022 when I was sexually assaulted by a homeless man in my neighborhood as I was walking my dog. That horrible experience alone didn't change me politically, but the treatment I received from the far left and some progressives after sharing the story did.

I was told that by publicly sharing what had happened to me, I was stigmatizing my "unhoused neighbors." Others accused me of feeding into racist tropes because they assumed that my attacker was black. But I had never even disclosed the man's race.

He was white.

Not only did I suddenly see the flawed thinking of some on the left, I also witnessed their cruelty and hypocrisy in real time. These terrible traits that I had associated solely with my political opponents were obviously not exclusive to their tribe. I was stupid for ever thinking that was the case.

That doesn't mean everyone on the left thinks or behaves in the way this small group of lunatics do. Far from it. But it does mean that there are factions and flaws on both sides of the aisle and no one has a monopoly on truth.

Then there was the insane reaction to one of my tweets in March 2023:

All hell broke loose after I posted those words. Most "friends" in left-wing media didn't bother reaching out privately to discuss their disagreement with my personal preference. Instead, many self-described socialists took it upon themselves to profit from conflict by publicly attacking me with monetized videos.

A smaller leftist YouTube show put out five separate videos skewering me about the tweet, while conveniently erasing the advocacy I had done on behalf of the transgender community throughout my career. They even went as far as drawing a link between my tweet and trans suicides, which sadly wasn't the most unhinged outcome of the debacle.

TYT's volunteer YouTube chat moderators quit over the tweet, and someone reported me to Human Resources. An on-air transgender contributor even resigned from the company after being urged by online mobs and leftist shows to do so. Curious that not one of those shows hired her after she took their advice.

I never apologized for the tweet and I never will.

That whole experience forced me to come to terms with the intolerance on the left and it allowed me to publicly reject the ideological shackles that kept my world small and less informed.

Today I'm less certain and more curious than I was four years ago.

She says her new substack (from which that excerpt is taken) will be a platform for her new "curiosity" and "openness," and she invites other politically-disaffected people (on the left, one assumes) to join her.

The "Young" Turk audience offered support to Kasparian.

Just kidding, they're demanding her firing. Of course.

Below, Ana Kasparian attacks the media and Joe Scarborough especially for their demand that we never question what Kamala Harris's policies actually are, because doing so would help Trump, and "Trump Bad! Trump Bad!"

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 03:00 PM | Comments (397) | Trackbacks (Suck)

NBC "News:" Kamala Harris's National Lead Is Now Completely Gone (Which, PS, Means Trump Is Well Ahead)

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 01:40 PM | Comments (528) | Trackbacks (Suck)

JD Vance Appears on "Tales from the Crypt" and DESTROYS the Crypt-Keeper with FACTS and HOLY WATER

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 12:13 PM | Comments (519) | Trackbacks (Suck)

THE MORNING RANT: Columbus Day Buck Shots

Happy “Western Civilization Day”

Happy Columbus Day to you all! The spread of western civilization and Judeo-Christianity to the Americas is worth celebrating. In fact, if the left is going to re-badge this holiday as “Indigenous Peoples Day” then I am inclined to re-badge it as “Western Civilization Day.” Celebrate with joy.

By the way, the “objective” media outlet Politico just disregards the official federal Columbus Day holiday altogether, matter-of-factly referring to it as “Indigenous Peoples Day.

Speaking of indigenous peoples, it’s joked that everyone in Oklahoma, East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and North Georgia claims to be part Cherokee. Mrs. Throckmorton’s well documented family lineage includes a several-greats grandmother who was a Cherokee from the mountains of North Georgia. We know her name, as well as that of the Anglo rapscallion who wooed her and then headed west with her. My wife is not eligible for membership in either the Oklahoma or Eastern Band of the tribe, but she’ll always be my beloved Cherokee Maiden.

*****

AI, Al, or A1

Unrelated to anything political, I dislike sans-serif fonts. Good on Ace and Pixy that this blog uses a font with serifs. My job has always required alpha-numeric work, and it is distracting to me when I have to use context to figure out if a character is a capital I, a lower-case l, or the number 1. Twitter (X) is my favorite source for news, but it uses a sans-serif font, so every time I read about “AI,” I read it as man named “Al.”

This sentence is virtually unreadable with sans-serif fonts: “Al, from A1 Technologies, said A1 is starting to integrate AI into all its operations.”

*****

Male Feminists vs Gay Guys

We’ve all had a good laugh at this comically awful “I’m a man” ad from Team Kamala. Some of the guys are quite apparently gay and were poorly cast for the roles they played in this commercial.

What bothers me the most is not that gay guys were cast in the role of rugged he-men, it’s that gay guys were cast in the role of “male feminists.” My wife and I socialize with several gay couples, and there are several gay guys who are valued friends of ours. I choose not to judge them, and I’m glad to have them as friends.

But I do judge “male feminists” and I want nothing to do with them. I’ll put this delicately…the men I know who have participated in marches wearing pink “hats” and who go on social media to bash other men while celebrating “empowered women” are creepy. Disturbingly creepy, just like the people pushing the transgender social contagion. It is reasonable to believe that the reason left-wing women are so hostile to men is because their experiences with straight men are bad experiences with “male feminists.”

This "men" for Kamala ad is funnier than any SNL sketch over the past decade.

I had to look up the source to make sure it wasn't a parody.������������pic.twitter.com/t1utYW27OE

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) October 11, 2024

*****

Throckmorton’s First Law of Live Music, “If There’s an Upright Bass in the Band, It’s Probably Going to be Good”

Speaking of the lovely Cherokee Maiden who cohabits my happy hunting ground, here is Ray Benson and Asleep At The Wheel joined by a cavalcade of country music legends doing their recording of the Cindy Walker / Bob Wills classic “Cherokee Maiden.”

Have a blessed Columbus Day / Western Civilization Day.

[buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com]

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM | Comments (376) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Mid-Morning Art Thread

Portrait of Jakob Fugger
Albrecht Durer

Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (360) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Report — 10/14/24


Good Morning Kids. HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY. Where a great and brave explorer discovered a new world and led the way in civilizing it. 532 years on, he'd be pleased to know we're reverting to barbarism and depravity, just the way he found this place!

I know the topic of polling has been covered both editorially and of course in the comments like crazy, especially over the past couple of weeks as the Democrats appear to be cratering while Trump seems to be on the rise, most alarmingly for the former among key constituencies on the issues as well as on how said constituencies perceive themselves being treated by those they have voted for in lock step for generations now.

so putting aside our usual cynicism about polling, why are the Democrats freaking out, particularly if as we all suspect and sadly with good reason that election shenanigans and rigging, as well as a judicial system that will leave us no recourse should we be dumb enough to turn to them for redress in the event that 2020 repeats itself, or at least if 2024 rhymes with it, to riff off of a well known quote about history. When alleged Democrat superstars like Obama, or even James Clyburn can't shame black men into supporting Harris, and ditto a bevy of has-been entertainers into calling men in general misogynists if they don't vote for her. Something is keeping them up at night as Election day draws near.

And so, in cases like this, what do leftists almost always do? They play to their strengths; threats of violence or actual violence.

And so, yet again, gentle reader, we have perhaps yet another assassination attempt against Donald Trump. I say perhaps because there are a few things that just don't add up.

The armed suspect who was arrested on weapons charges on his way to Donald Trump’s California rally denied the local sheriff’s assertion he wanted to kill the ex-president, calling the accusations on Sunday, “bullsh-t.”
Vem Miller, 49, reportedly claimed he’s a Trump supporter a day after he was cuffed Saturday afternoon near the Coachella Valley rally at a checkpoint — where sheriff deputies found a pair of guns and ammunition in his car.
While Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he “truly” believes his deputies stopped a third assassination attempt against the Republican presidential nominee, Miller told the Southern California News Group on Sunday he was “shocked” by the allegations.
“These accusations are complete bullsh-t,” Miller told the news outlet. “I’m an artist, I’m the last person that would cause any violence and harm to anybody.” Miller, who sources alleged to The Post is part of a far right anti-government group, said he was invited to the rally by the head of the Clark County GOP Party, and was donning a Trump shirt and hat when he ran into authorities at the checkpoint.
The weapons, a shotgun and loaded handgun, were bought in 2022 for personal protection, Miller told the local outlet.
He said he told deputies he was carrying the firearms in his trunk – as a courtesy – before he was pulled over and forced to leave the car. The car was then “ransacked” after a deputy informed him he wanted to make sure the guns were legal purchases, he claimed.
Miller, a registered Republican who ran unsuccessfully for office in Nevada in 2022, also denied he flashed a fake press pass at the checkpoint — as the sheriff alleged — but instead offered a “special entry pass,” the outlet reported.
The Las Vegas resident told the publication he was not informed why he was taken into custody, and only after he was detained for hours was he allowed to call a lawyer. He said he then recalled the incident while in front of FBI and Secret Service agents, who reportedly wanted to interview him.
Deputies later told Miller, who runs an organization that rails against the mainstream media, that the sit-down with the feds was scrapped, he claimed. . .

. . . “If you’re asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt,” he said, adding Miller had a cache of fake passports and driver’s licenses at the checkpoint.
Miller also allegedly had a fake license plate and was driving an unregistered vehicle.
Bianco also said the suspect claimed he was a journalist and had VIP access to the
Trump event, but could not produce the appropriate documents.
“If we are that politically lost that we have lost sight of common sense and reality and reason that we can’t say that ‘Holy crap, what did he show up with all of that stuff for and loaded guns?’ and I’m going to be accused of being dramatic, we have a serious, serious problem in this country because this is common sense and reason,” the sheriff said in response to a reporter’s question if his statements had been overly dramatic.

So, how does an armed gunman get this close to Trump, or is it just too much to assume that he or any other politician can be covered like a blanket 100% of the time? And was it blind luck that the police spotted him and were able to, shall we say "pounce."

Naturally, the media, as it always does will blame the victim for using dangerous rhetoric, like we need to make America great again, control our borders and bring jobs back home, limit the size and scope of government and so on and so on.

Of course, violent rapists, murderers, drug-runners and human traffickers that the junta have imported by the millions in just the last four years alone are not the problem.

Nor these little darlings who were just turning their lives around.

A mob ransacked a cargo train Friday on Chicago’s West Side, and several people among the group were arrested as a result.
Video footage shows the incident when the mob swarmed a cargo train in South Austin and carried away boxes of merchandise, ABC 7 reported, noting the heist went on for about an hour until police officers arrived at the scene. A witness named Princess Shaw said she watched several people break into the freight cars. Fox 32 reported that six people were arrested following the burglary.
“This is wild!” a person from behind the camera exclaimed while filming the incident. “They stealing!” she added. Police said some of the stolen items included air fryers, other appliances, and what appeared to be flat screen televisions.

Wow, not even the phony pretext of another George Floyd. Just good old Harvey Logan showing initiative on his own and not waiting for Butch and Sundance to lead the Hole in the Wall Gang to fame and fortune!

Right now, we have the Hole in the Head Gang leading America straight to Hell, with open borders, decriminalization of crime (if these little darlings are ever caught, do you really think they will ever face any consequences beyond a wrist-slap, if that?)

Why so cynical? Well the estimable Daniel Greenfield has a new series about the worst judges in America. And he kicks it off with a doozy!

It was 2017. The Trump administration had finally taken the war to ISIS after years of neglect by the Obama administration. And Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, the radical leftist granddaughter of a Jamaican Communist, was fighting to protect an ISIS terrorist in Iraq.
The Saudi Muslim had been captured by a local Kurdish militia and turned over to American forces in Iraq. He had been caught with a Koran, thousands of dollars, a flash drive with instructions for making IEDs and a spreadsheet titled “Islamic State Spoils and Booty Bureau.”
Spoils under ISIS could include property stolen from non-Muslims as well as non-Muslim slaves. The most notorious example of ISIS ‘spoils’ were Yazidi girls taken as sex slaves by Muslims.
American forces interrogated him and then decided to send him back to Saudi Arabia.
Unfortunately. while studying in Louisiana a decade earlier, the Saudi Muslim had obtained U.S. citizenship. And even though by joining ISIS, he had disavowed it and was subject to denaturalization, the ACLU wanted to get him a lawyer. In Iraq.
And Judge Chutkan, a Jamaican immigrant with a radical pedigree, insisted that he get one. By next year, Judge Chutkan and the ACLU had secured the release of the ISIS terrorist. . .

. . . Judge Chutkan’s frenzied efforts on behalf of an ISIS terrorist stand in sharp contrast to her infamous reputation as a ‘hanging judge’ in the J6 trials.
In dozens of J6 cases, Chutkan demonstrated her bias by insisting on sending every single defendant before her to prison. In 9 cases, she demanded more prison time than even the Biden Justice Department had requested for its MAGA political opponents.
The striking contrast between Judge Chutkan’s treatment of ISIS and J6 showed where her sympathies lie. Beyond ISIS, Chutkan has worked to protect the worst monsters imaginable.
Among Judge Chutkan’s beneficiaries were Daniel Lewis Lee, a white supremacist gang member who had tortured an 8-year-old girl with a cattle prod before making her watch while he murdered her mother and then suffocated her with a plastic bag, Wesley Ira Purkey, a crackhead previously released for good behavior, who raped and murdered a 16-year-old and beat to death an 80-year-old widow with a claw hammer, and William Emmett LeCroy, a child molester obsessed with witchcraft, who had raped and murdered a local nurse.

If her name is familiar, she is also presiding over the Jack Smith kangaroo court Stalinist show trial against Donald Trump.

Which, if they can't find a shooter with even marginally better firearms training than Elmer Fudd Tim Walz,

they'll have to settle for tossing Trump in prison, instead of a pine box. Maybe Tampon Timmy can go hunting with Dick Cheney and get a few pointers!

Maybe the Iranians will have better luck next time,

that is if they don't get the green light to start World War 3 from the Biden Junta first. Then they can deal with Israel and Trump in one fell swoop. Providing the Israelis cooperate and willingly stick their heads on the Mullah's chopping block.

And here's a special shout out to Trevor Noah! Who is now the Kathy Griffin of Ta-Nehisi Coates'

Megulgl zol er vern in a henglaykhter: bay tog zol er hengen un bay nakht zol er brenen.
He should turn into a chandelier, so he'll hang by day and burn by night.

Have a good day.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY


• Vem Miller, 49, reportedly claimed he’s a Trump supporter a day after he was cuffed Saturday afternoon near the Coachella Valley rally at a checkpoint — where sheriff deputies found a pair of guns and ammunition in his car. While Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he “truly” believes his deputies stopped a third assassination attempt against the Republican presidential nominee, Miller told the Southern California News Group on Sunday he was “shocked” by the allegations.
  Vem Miller, armed man arrested near Trump Coachella rally, denies wanting to hurt ex-prez: ‘Complete bulls–t’
  
• The man was taken into custody for possessing the loaded firearm and for possessing the magazine with higher capacity than legal in California, which is the most stringently gun-controlled state in the Union.
  Man Arrested at Trump Coachella Rally Had Shotgun and Handgun, at Least One Was Loaded
  
• Authorities thwarted a possible third assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday when local law enforcement apprehended a man in possession of firearms and counterfeit entry passes outside his rally in Coachella Valley, California. The suspect was detained roughly a mile from the rally site, where police discovered he had a fraudulent entry pass, a loaded shotgun, a handgun, and a high-capacity magazine.
  Third Trump Assassination Attempt Thwarted

• Daniel Greenfield: #1 of the 10 Worst Judges in America.
  Obama’s Communist Nepo Baby Judge Who Loves Evil

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:04 AM | Comments (340) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 14 October 2024

Top Story

• SpaceX's Starship test completes with a remarkable "chopstick" booster catch. (The Verge)
  
  The most successful Starship test so far, with both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship itself performing flawlessly.
  
  I'm linking The Verge for this one because the story is reported completely straight - just the facts, ma'am - and the comments are cheerfully ripping apart The Verge's usual two minute hate pieces.
  
  
  
• Meanwhile Elon Musk is planning to sue the Combat Camel Corps over blatant First Amendment violations. (MSN)
  
  The CCC - wait, I'm told that stands for California Coastal Commission - and specifically Gretchen Newsom - were stupid enough to say that they rejected the SpaceX application for additional launch slots at Vandenburg because of what Musk posted on Twitter.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (79) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Overnight Open Thread (10/13/24) Minimal Content Edition

*****

The Quotes of The Day

Quote I

"When I seen the guys up there, I'm like, 'Eh, this doesn't look right. As we were coming down, we saw the gentleman on Cicero itself, opening up the freight train." Princess Shaw

Quote II

“We were so happy, we almost cried. “He showed honor.Many people wouldn’t pass that test.” Truong Huynh

*****

The Comments of The Week

The toughest job for Sunday's ONT is picking them out.

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 10:01 PM | Comments (449) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gun Thread: Pre- TXMoMe Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Texas Sized Shitballs! The TXMoMe is dang near upon us!! That's right boys and girls, in just a few days we will descend upon Corsicana TX like a flock of retarded locusts. Frankly, I cannot wait! I think over the years (this is ninth!) I have used every superlative known in an effort to cajole "you people" into making the trip. It really is that much fun. A special Thank You to Ben Had, Cow Horse Queen and RancherBob for making it all happen!

Anyhow, there is a bunch of MoMe info below, and if you're going to be there I cant wait to say howdy in person!

Programming Note: You can continue discussing the 10/13/24 PDT rally situation if you like.

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (289) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Third Trump Assassination Thwarted

The would-be killer had guns and a fake press pass.

Police are saying he's part of a "right-wing anti-government" group. Sure. He faked the press pass but we should just believe whatever he's claiming about his motive, right?

NY Post's reporting is here.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 05:22 PM | Comments (301) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Food Thread: Hummus! Is There A Pun To Be Made With Humus? No.

Hummus is one of my favorite foods. It's stupidly easy to make a superior version at home, and it is also a fraction of the cost of the commercial stuff. Which I don't eat except on airplanes. That seems to be the snack of choice, and the ones I have tried are...how does one say this politely...sh*t.

Chick peas, lemon juice, tahini* (ground sesame seeds), olive oil, S&P, and maybe some cumin if you like that flavor. I start with dried chick peas, so I use some of the cooking water to punch up the flavor and smooth out the consistency. But you don't have to start with dried; canned is perfectly okay for your first attempts.

Anyway, as I have mentioned in the past, I use a recipe from a wonderful chef who started a tiny take-out joint in NYC that made fantastic felafel and hummus and pita. It's not perfect, but as a base it's pretty damned good. But I always make a half-sized batch...until a few days ago. Yes, I just wasn't thinking, and started with three cups of dried chickpeas, which translates after soaking and cooking into a metric f*ck-ton of hummus.

So I now have about a half gallon of hummus, and that is after serving a bunch of it (with Moki's fresh pita) last night for the Yom Kippur Break Fast.

I might go into business, just to get some room in my refrigerator!

Anyone ever do something like that? Make a monstrous amount of something out of inattention? I like the stuff, but damn! I wonder if I can use it as spackle?

*I pronounce it: "Tahina"

Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (191) | Trackbacks (Suck)

First-World Problems...

That is harbinger...of doom!

I may have complained about the crap finish on this washing machine a long while ago. I had to sand and repaint a portion of the base because the design of the dispenser was just crap, and allowed water to pool on the edge of the sheet metal. And because it wasn't painted well, the water gradually infiltrated under the paint, and poof! Peeling paint, which is grounds for dusting off and nuking the machine from orbit.

So...next week I will take the dispenser out of the frame, sand the sheet metal down, degrease it very carefully, and then repaint it.

Although burning the entire house town to the foundation and starting fresh is a very tempting option.

Posted by: CBD at 02:05 PM | Comments (179) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Tampon Timmy Does Another Failed "Make Me Look Normal" Event

One of the most unpleasant and grating parts of most current political campaigns is the nails-on-a-chalkboard scripted events trying to portray the candidate as just a [fill in the blank]. Whether it's Kamala Harris talking about cooking, or Jon Tester photographed in blaze orange in spite of not having a hunting license, or Michael Dukakis in the turret of a tank, or John Kerry in that idiotic NASA bunny suit, candidates will almost always beclown themselves trying to look like Everyman.

But they aren't "Everyman," and everyone knows it. Chlamydia Harris hasn't cooked a meal in years, and probably doesn't know where the kitchen is -- although I'll bet she knows where the icemaker is for her late-night bourbons. Hillary Clinton having coffee at a diner in NH is pure fiction...normally she wouldn't be caught dead near normal people, and the carefully stage-managed fantasy is intended for the cameras and the LIVs...nothing else.

And...is it just my imagination or do Democrat candidates pull this nauseating crap far more frequently than Republicans? The last own-goal of a Republican attempting to be just one of the guys was Kristi Noem's embarrassing "Yup...I shoot dogs" brag. Is it the tendency of Republican candidates to be from the private sector, compared to the tried-and-true pipeline for Democrats of elite college --> NGO or political staff --> government job --> private sector --> Candidate?

Or is it the smug and disconnected Democrat apparatus that always minimizes the intelligence of the American voter? I'm not overly impressed by the typical American voter's focus on reality, but I doubt many of them buy the goods that the Democrats are trying to sell with these sham events!

Like this one!

24-Year Military Veteran And Self-Described 'Gun Guy' Tim Walz Struggles To Wrangle His Own Firearm

Tampon Tim Walz did a lot of posing for the cameras during his "hunting" photo op today.

He didn't fire his gun and shot exactly zero pheasants.

It's all fake. pic.twitter.com/84LxOE6SW0

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 12, 2024

The idea that Tampon Timmy Walz is a gun guy is simply moronic. He is a well-known gun control fan, so trying to finesse the hunters of America into believing that he's just one of them is a bit far-fetched. And while I am no hunting expert, I was pheasant hunting last month (I sucked) and I don't recall anyone holding his shotgun the way Tampon Timmy is.

In a word...Awkward. And that signals a lack of familiarity with guns. And maybe I am over-analyzing the video, but it sure looks like his shotgun is upside down (there is another video at the link that is equally awkward)!

But there is one candidate who doesn't participate in these scripted embarrassments.

Donald Trump. Say what you will about him, he is very comfortable in his own skin, and has no interest in pretending to be something he isn't. Can anyone recall Trump doing one of these horrid events? I can't.

I don't need my president to be just like me. I don't need him to be just one of the guys. I don't need him to be anything other than a patriotic American whose focus is the protection of the United States of America from its enemies, and the success and well-being of the American people.

If that means he is a middle-aged Jewish guy with a fascination with guns and food and booze? Great! I'll invite him to dinner and we can talk shooting, bourbon, and Sous Vide.

And if that means he is a late-70s New York City Real Estate mogul with a monstrous ego and a conviction that he can fix any problem with "a deal?" That's fine too.

The difference between the cookie-cutter Democrat candidates who are all in on acquisition of power, but have no dedication to anything else on earth, and Donald Trump, is that they are chimeras, while Donald Trump is exactly what you see and hear.

You might not like it, but it is genuine. That doesn't mean he is just like you and me...he isn't. But he isn't a shape-shifting monster that tries to mimic its audience, no matter who and what they are.

As for dinner with Donald Trump? Eh...he doesn't drink, and eats his steaks well-done with steak sauce or (shudder) ketchup. It might be entertaining though, especially if he brought Melania!

But as a president? Yes.

Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM | Comments (381) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Morning Book Thread - 10-13-2024 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading (WARNING! Cover art is not for the squeamish!). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...(also not for the squeamish).

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, sprinkle pumpkin spice on your omelet, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM | Comments (243) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 13 October 2024

Top Story

• After being sued by hosting company WP Engine for libel and extortion, it would appear that Automattic, the commercial arm of WordPress, has chosen to respond with outright theft. (MSN)
  
  One thing Automattic accused WP Engine of was not contributing back to the project. WP Engine developed and maintained the WordPress plugin ACF - Advanced Custom Fields, which has two million users.
  
  So Automattic stole it. (Twitter)
  
  They took the project, changed the name, and assigned themselves ownership, dragging all two million users along with it.
  
  They said they were forced to do that because WP Engine could not properly manage and maintain the project. WP Engine could not manage and maintain the project because Automattic blocked them.
  
  WP Engine's lawyers who were already looking at replacing their Porsches with Ferraris are now thinking maybe a Bugatti Chiron would be nice.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (255) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Overnight Open Thread (10/12/24)

*****

The Saturday Night Joke

THE DEAD DUCK

A woman brings a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon.

As she lays her beloved pet duck on the table, the vet puts his stethoscope to the bird’s chest and listens carefully.

A moment later the vet shakes his head and says sadly, “I’m really sorry mam, but your duck, Cuddles, has passed away.“

The woman becomes quite distressed and begins to cry.

“Are you sure?” she says with tears flooding from her eyes.

“Yes mam, I am sure” the vet responds. “Your duck is definitely dead.“

“But how can you be so sure?” the woman protests. “I mean, you haven’t done any testing on him or anything have you? Perhaps he’s just stunned or in a coma or something.”

The vet rolls his eyes, then turns around and leaves the room.

A few minutes later he returns with a black Labrador retriever.

As the duck’s owner looks on in amazement, the Labrador stands on his hind legs, puts his front paws on the examination table and sniffs around the duck from top to bottom. He then looks up at the vet with sad eyes and shakes his head.

The vet pats the dog on the head and takes it out of the room.

A few minutes later the vet returns with a cat. The cat jumps on the table and delicately sniffs at the bird from its head to its feet. After a moment the cat looks up, shakes its head, meows softly and strolls out of the room.

The vet looks at the woman and says, “Look mam I’m really sorry, but as I said before, this is most definitely a duck that is no longer of this world. Your duck is dead.“

The vet then turns to his computer terminal, hits a few keys and produces a bill, which he hands to the woman.

The duck’s owner, still in shock, looks at the bill and sees it is $150.

“$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!” she shrieks with incredulity

The vet shrugs his shoulders and says, “I’m sorry mam. If you’d taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20. However, with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it’s now $150.“ (H/T TNDeplorable)

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 09:56 PM | Comments (287) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Evening Movie Thread [moviegique]: An Evening With John Carpenter (Prince of Darkness/The Thing)

I'm a fan of Joe Bob Briggs, the premier drive-in movie critic of Grapevine, Texas, going back to the '80s when I first caught a glimpse of him on The Movie Channel. By the '90s, when yours truly had more or less stopped caring what was on TV, you could find me in front of the set at crazy hours on Saturday nights watching whatever crapola they had given him to host. A brief correspondence with him during my technical writing years cemented my affection for the man, who has been genuine and supportive to everyone I've come across who ever interacted with him.

But it wasn't until I hauled my butt out to the Drive-In Jamboree that I considered myself a mutant, which is a name that comes from a one-man show JBB did in the '80s, where he had people take the Drive-In Oath. This begins, "We are Drive-In Mutants." How the groups I consider myself a member of (the moron horde, the jackals of 372 pages, and the drive-in mutants) reflect on my self-image I will leave to the armchair psychologists.

What was a gag forty years ago has taken on depth, especially in the past six years since a fan (now Darcy The Mail Girl) exhorted him to revive the show, and a marathon turned into a six-, soon to be seven-year run.

Reciting he original oath from 1985's "Joe Bob: Dead In Concert" which is available on Youtube and Amazon.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 08:25 PM | Comments (272) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Hobby Thread - October 12, 2024 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. After checking the settings to ensure proper calibration, a spin of the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) landed on a theme of European travel for this week. Sehr gut!

Europe is a mix of geographies, cultures, history, and traditions. Whether for religious pilgrimages or the grand tour or holiday, people have gravitated to Europe for different non-work reasons. I am guessing some among the horde have visited Europe as well, so let us talk travel. Just returning from Oktoberfest? Do you have a favorite festival? Have a favorite city, region or attraction? How about a favorite Alpine pass? Do you have a hidden gem or discovery? Did you come home with a treasured trinket? If you have not visited, what is on your fantasy list for a visit someday? Where would you like to hear about Horde experiences and wisdom?

The Horde has to have stories. Did you backpack across Europe in your younger days? Did you have a Chevy Chase style European vacation? Did you visit East Germany before the wall came down? Were you stationed in Europe and enjoyed the local hospitality? Have you hiked the Alps or cruised the Rhine or Danube or cycled through France? If you are a military historian, what battlefields in Europe have you walked? How about cemeteries? How are your language skills? We featured a beer theme recently and many good beers are found in Europe. Have you visited breweries? What about wine regions?

Content below to get the conversation started, but looking for Horde participation. This is not a competition, so do not worry if your memory is not the fanciest or most exotic. If meaningful to you, it will be meaningful to the horde.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM | Comments (130) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ace of Spades Pet Thread, October 12

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Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.

Would you like a treat?

Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.

Posted by: K.T. at 02:28 PM | Comments (79) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Oct. 12

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

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Posted by: K.T. at 01:17 PM | Comments (40) | Trackbacks (Suck)