Tim Walz: "We Can't Afford Four More Years of This"

By "this," he means the failures and miseries of the past four years.

Remember, the Democrat-Media Party has decided to pretend that Trump is the incumbent and Kamala Harris is the outsider challenger who will upend the status quo.

Four years after insisting that Trump lost the election, the Democrat-Media Party has changed its mind. Trump not only won the election, but he's currently serving as president.

Tim Walz roasted for seemingly campaigning against running mate: "We can't afford four more years of this"

Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz faced a wave of online mockery following a statement made at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. Walz told the crowd, "We can't afford four more years of this," sparking confusion and criticism, particularly from conservative commentators, who saw the remark as an accidental jab at his own running mate.

Key Details:

During a rally in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Tim Walz was discussing gun violence when he veered off course, calling attention to an audience member who seemed to need water.

After briefly pausing his speech, Walz resumed and criticized former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance before stating, "We can't afford four more years of this."

The ambiguous nature of his comment led to ridicule on social media, with conservative voices like Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump War Room account mockingly suggesting Walz had unintentionally endorsed Trump.

Posted by: Ace at 03:02 PM | Comments (378) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Secret Service Agent Accidentally Shoots Himself

Outstanding, Gentlemen. Give yourselves all a civil service performance bonus.

A U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division officer accidentally shot himself while on duty in Washington, D.C. on Saturday night, according to a statement from the Secret Service. The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. near 32nd and Fessenden streets in the northwest part of the city.

The officer was handling his service weapon when it discharged, causing him non-life-threatening injuries. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation. No other individuals were harmed during the incident, as confirmed by Lt. Paul Mayhair, a public information officer with the Secret Service.

The Secret Service's Office of Professional Responsibility will investigate the circumstances surrounding the discharge. This review is part of the agency's protocol to ensure accountability and prevent future incidents.

The Secret Service has yet to provide further details regarding the condition of the officer or potential procedural changes following the investigation.

Unrelatedly, Gallup finds that public approval of the Secret Service has plummeted 23 points since their assassination botches.

Public confidence in the U.S. Secret Service has taken a major hit, with a new Gallup poll showing a 23-percentage-point drop in approval following two attempts on former President Donald Trump's life. The most significant of these incidents occurred in July at a Pennsylvania rally, where a gunman grazed Trump's ear, wounded two others, and killed a rallygoer. Investigations revealed multiple security failings, including the agency's inability to cover rooftops and detect a drone near the rally.

The fallout from the event is evident in the poll's findings, which show a bipartisan drop in confidence. Republicans and independents leaning toward the GOP saw the sharpest decline, but support among Democrats also tumbled. The agency's favorability is now at its lowest in years, and it mirrors declines seen in other federal agencies like the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Secret Service's challenges are further compounded by a rise in threats against political figures, with lawmakers acknowledging that the agency is "stretched thin." Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) recently stated that the current threat environment is at historic highs. The Department of Homeland Security is now pushing for budget increases and reforms to address these growing challenges, while a bipartisan task force prepares for hearings on the Pennsylvania shooting later this week.

If that's true, I then the left is responsible for this. Both the threats and leftist, Marxist dum-dums like AOC who are constantly claiming that they're being "threatened" and even that they're ghosts now because they were killed on January 6th.

Posted by: Ace at 02:00 PM | Comments (378) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Left Has Only One Agenda and It Is Outlawing All Dissent Against Them So They Can Do Whatever They Like and Never Be Held Account for Their Catastrophic Failures

Gavin Newsom signs a bill making parodies of Democrats illegal.

California laws cracking down on election deepfakes by AI face legal challenges

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California now has some of the toughest laws in the United States to crack down on election deepfakes ahead of the 2024 election after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three landmark proposals this week at an artificial intelligence conference in San Francisco.

The state could be among the first to test out such legislation, which bans the use of AI to create and circulate false images and videos in political ads close to Election Day.

But now, two of the three laws, including one that was designed to curb the practice in the 2024 election, are being challenged in court through a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Sacramento.

Those include one that takes effect immediately that allows any individual to sue for damages over election deepfakes, while the other requires large online platforms, like X, to remove the deceptive material starting next year.

The lawsuit, filed by a person who created parody videos featuring altered audios of Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, says the laws censor free speech and allow anybody to take legal action over content they dislike. At least one of his videos was shared by Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, which then prompted Newsom to vow to ban such content on a post on X.

The governor's office said the law doesn't ban satire and parody content. Instead, it requires the disclosure of the use of AI to be displayed within the altered videos or images.

"It's unclear why this conservative activist is suing California," Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement. "This new disclosure law for election misinformation isn't any more onerous than laws already passed in other states, including Alabama."

Below, the Kamala Harris obvious parody that so upset Gavin Newsom, and then a parody noting, accurately, that Gavin Newsom has promoted every piece of Regime Disinformation from the past ten years and also is seriously gay.

Posted by: Ace at 01:00 PM | Comments (339) | Trackbacks (Suck)

DOJ Releases Letter Penned by Second Trump Assassin, Promising $150,000 to Anyone Who Could "Finish the Job" by Killing Trump

Bear in mind, this is the same DOJ that won't let anyone read the Trans Terrorist's journals and routinely lies about political motivations behind attacks to avoid "backlash."

But putting out an open offer for an assassin to kill Trump passes DOJ muster.

Seems that only Some Lives Matter.

The Department of Justice is facing backlash for releasing what critics call a "hit" on former President Donald Trump, after releasing a letter from Ryan Wesley Routh, who attempted to assassinate the former president and offered $150,000 to anyone who could "finish the job." Lawmakers and commentators have slammed the DOJ, warning that the release could inspire copycat attacks and increase the threat to Trump.

Key Details:

On Monday, the DOJ made the letter public as part of a court filing to justify keeping Routh in custody on federal gun charges. The letter, addressed to "the world," read, "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you... It is up to you now to finish the job."

Routh was arrested on September 15th after a failed attempt to assassinate Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course. Secret Service agents fired on Routh after spotting him with a rifle, but he fled in a black SUV before being arrested.

The letter's release has drawn sharp criticism, with Florida Rep. Michael Waltz questioning, "Why would the DOJ release a letter where an assassin puts a bounty on DJT's head to encourage copycats?" Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed this, accusing the DOJ of "offering a bounty on Trump's head."

Posted by: Ace at 12:00 PM | Comments (423) | Trackbacks (Suck)

THE MORNING RANT: Volkswagen is Halting US Electric Vehicle Production Until at Least 2025

As the “electric vehicle transition” continues to implode due to an emphatic consumer rejection of EVs, legacy automakers have had to deal with a glut of unsold and unwanted electric cars. Coincidentally, whenever there is a need to suspend EV assembly lines due to the glut of unsold inventory, there always seems to be an accompanying cover story that provides a different reason for halting EV production.

Volkswagen is the latest legacy auto manufacturer to suspend its EV assembly line here in the US. Hundreds of employees are being furloughed, and if Volkswagen ever resumes EV production, it will not be until 2025 at the earliest. VW is blaming this all on door handles, not on the collapse in sales of its electric ID.4 car.

It is worth noting that in 2019, VW CEO Herbert Diess promised an all-electric future for VW, and it built a new electric vehicle assembly plant in Tennessee, which started production in 2022. Of course, the Republican-controlled state government in Tennessee gave VW $50 million of taxpayer money to build the plant that is now suspending EV production. Corporate-communism (re-distributing wealth from individuals to government-favored corporations) is alive and well in Tennessee.

The ID.4 had been imported from Europe for several years prior to the launch of US assembly, but consumers never really warmed to the car in the first place. Less than 10% of VW’s 2023 US sales were EVs, before EV sales plunged 28% in 2024 from the already anemic baseline.

“U.S. Volkswagen ID.4 Sales Continued to Decrease in Q2 2024” [Inside EVs – 7/03/2024]

The ID.4's share in Volkswagen's total sales amounted to 5.7%, down noticeably from 8.7% a year earlier.

Volkswagen’s Tennessee EV plant had an original production goal of 90,000 units in 2023, to rise even higher in 2024. But through the first half of 2024, VW had sold less than 12,000 electric vehicles in the US, which annualizes to less than 24,000.

News about Volkswagen halting EV production broke last week, in association with a recall involving faulty door handles – a problem that for some peculiar reason is unique to VW’s electric cars but doesn’t affect its gas-powered cars.

“Volkswagen to halt ID.4 production in the US following nearly 100,000 vehicle recall” [electrek – 9/18/2024]

Volkswagen plans to temporarily halt ID.4 production at its Chattanooga, TN, plant following a nationwide recall involving nearly 100,000 models. According to a VW statement, roughly 200 workers will be furloughed at the plant.

According to Volkswagen, the production halt could last until the beginning of next year as it works to resolve the issue.

A story in KBB states that Volkswagen EV production is not expected to resume until 2025. Interestingly, it also notes that while ID.4 production is being halted indefinitely, ”[Volkswagen] hasn’t told people who already own ID.4s to stop driving them.”

As I alluded to earlier, there is precedent for “quality” or “supply chain” issues being promoted as the reason for stopping production of unwanted EVs.

Earlier this month I discussed how Rivian stopped production of its Amazon delivery van after a series of spontaneous fires involving these vans. Rivian blamed the production shutdown on “supply chain issues,” but somehow those supply chain issues only affect the Amazon delivery vans that keep combusting. Tellingly, Rivian refused to disclose which parts are snared in the supply chain.

About a year ago, Ford found itself with an unsellable glut of electric 2023 F150 Conflagrations Lightnings and nowhere to put the 2024 year-model vehicles that were about to start production. So, Ford suspended production and stated that the reason was “additional quality checks” without stating what the “quality” issue was. Ford also stated that it was “working to match its 2023 supply with demand as the company prepares to change over to 2024 Lightning production.” I wrote at the time, “Let me translate. What would have been year-model 2023 electric pickups are now going to be year-model 2024 electric pickups (after their ‘additional quality checks’ so as to ensure that there is not a glut of unsold prior-year model Lightnings…”

Returning to Volkswagen, it makes outstanding gasoline-powered vehicles right here in the United States. It also terminated its relationship with destructive enviro-leftist CEO, Herbert Diess, back in 2022.

With the likely defeat of the Biden-Harris administration in a few weeks, and the subsequent dismantling of the EV agenda and mandates, VW has an opportunity to re-focus on selling great German-engineered cars, powered by gasoline, and assembled right here in the United States. It even has an available plant to use for that purpose.

[buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com]

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM | Comments (332) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Mid-Morning Art Thread

Rainstorm over the Sea
John Constable

Addendum: Fine! Here are the boobs you all want!

Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (305) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Report — 9/23/24

Good Morning Kids. It certainly seems as if Israel will be expanding its justified, and in reality, ongoing (since 19-forty-eight) self-defensive war of national survival – That is this latest chapter which began on 10/7 of last year with the subhuman Islamic monsters' invasion from Gaza, north into Lebanon. The mind-blowing – both quite literally and figuratively, mass detonation of thousands of pagers, cell phones and walkie talkies which vaporized Hezbollah operatives before they could attack Israel from the north to relieve pressure on their compatriots being turned into Rachel Corrie pancake breakfasts.

That said, the savages launched missiles towards Israel to which the Israelis returned fire, and massively.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unleashed a new round of attacks against Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon on Saturday, conducting airstrikes that resulted in powerful explosions ripping through the night sky.

“The IDF completed an additional series of strikes in southern Lebanon since the afternoon, with the direction of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, the IAF struck approximately 290 targets, including thousands of launcher barrels, alongside additional terrorist infrastructure in multiple areas in southern Lebanon,”  the IDF said.

“The IDF will continue operating to dismantle and degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure.,” the statement added. . . The strikes came after Israel carried out an unprecedented strike against Hezbollah on Tuesday and Wednesday, detonating thousands of pagers and walkie talkies that Israel’s intelligence services had secretly built through legitimate manufacturing companies that it created as part of a plan that was at least 15 years in the making. . . The IDF noted that Hezbollah’s military top chain of command has been nearly entirely eliminated following the airstrikes yesterday.

I had pondered how the Israelis could have pulled this off so quickly if it was a response to 10/7 but 15 years in the making means that at least on some level some people within Israel's leadership understand full well who and what they are up against, as well as their own capabilities and the need to rely on unconventional warfare to neutralize an implacable, bloodthirsty enemy.

A bit closer to home, how's this for a laugh!

Someone made fun of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Gaza City), and she and her leftist friends and colleagues are enraged. Now, rage is their default mode, so this was no surprise, but the whole incident provided an illuminating glimpse into how leftists try to arouse and exploit rage for their own purposes, and really don’t have much of anything they can use to motivate their cadres if they aren’t angry about something. It all started when Abraham Aiyash, a Democrat (of course) who is currently the majority leader of the Michigan House of Representatives, posted on X a political cartoon lampooning Tlaib. The cartoon, which was the work of Henry Payne of the Detroit News, first appeared not in the News, but in National Review. It depicts Tlaib sitting at her desk looking over at the smoking ruin of her pager and thinking: “Odd. My pager just exploded.”

. . . This is how charges of “racism” and “Islamophobia” are weaponized against those who oppose jihad mass murder and Sharia oppression of women. There is nothing “racist” or “Islamophobic” about this cartoon. It doesn’t mention Tlaib’s race or her religion. It merely makes fun of her for her unapologetic and open support of the jihad against Israel, which allies her with jihad terror groups including Hizballah.

For Tlaib and others like her, however, charging “racism” and “Islamophobia” is the all-purpose response to any criticism, no matter how mild. And why not? It works.

Speaking of Michigan and meshugas, Islamphobia; about as imaginary a concept as that of a nation and people of "Palestine" given the 1,500 year body count and ocean of blood spilled in the name of advancing Mohammedenism all over the world until it drowns in it. I give you this entry:

Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan dodged a question about whether Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan engaged in anti-semitism when criticizing Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel of Michigan over charges against anti-Israel protesters on a college campus.

Tlaib, one of several far-left members of “the Squad” in Congress, accused Nessel of taking a biased approach when she charged anti-Israel protesters in connection with an encampment at the University of Michigan, the Detroit Metro Times reported, prompting Nessel to accuse Tlaib of antisemitism in a Friday post on X. “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper asked Whitmer whether or not Tlaib’s accusation against the Michigan attorney general was anti-semitic.

I wonder if Democrat VP candidate Josh Shapiro wants to weigh in on this. HA!!!!

While the Democrats expose exactly who and what they are, Donald Trump had a rather interesting meeting with someone I would have thought would want absolutely nothing to do with him, given all of the above as well as the looming national election.

The Democrat mayor of a community with many Arab-Americans in Wayne County, Michigan, who helped lead the uncommitted movement in the Democrat primary, told Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Saturday that his meeting with former President Donald Trump last week “was very productive” and well received by the community, which traditionally votes Democrat. Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib (D) spoke with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle in a nearly 20-minute segment on the program on the heels of his meeting with Trump in Flint, Michigan. . . Ghalib said his meeting with Trump materialized in part because many in Hamtramck and these neighboring communities are supportive of him and “the shifting dynamics” he is leading. . . “The meeting was very good,” Ghalib, who hails from Yemen, added. “I talked to President Trump about, you know, some statistics here in Wayne County and how it used to be a stronghold for the Democrats, and we always used to vote Democrat. This is not the case anymore here.” Ghalib recounted later in the interview that Trump said “he is going to end the chaos in the Middle East,” adding Trump “doesn’t want wars.”

Hamastramck or Haramtramck? Is this just another Taqqiya Sunrise, or is there something else going on? If this character is trying to appease the blue collar base, which is increasingly disenchanted with the Biden/Harris junta over its insane disaster over pushing EVs that is laying waste to their jobs among many other issues destroying the economy, on top of the Teamster rank and file seemingly leaning heavily towards Trump. Heck of a job trying to right the sinking Democrat ship. Mayor Ghalib.

Wayne County by the way was also heavily swamped in 2020 by the waters of an overflowing toilet in Atlanta on election night four years ago.

Of course, much of the rest of the Democrat Party still felt compelled to pimp this dreck:

Democrats are attempting to get funding restored to a U.N. Agency whose members participated in the October 7 mass killings in Israel last year alongside Hamas. At a press briefing outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, several Democratic Representatives called for reinstating funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the passage of H.R. 9649, a.k.a. the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act.Among the lawmakers pushing the legislation are Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who heads the House Progressive Caucus; Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a staunch ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); André Carson (D-IN), the bill’s lead sponsor; and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a vocal support of pro-Hamas policies. Overall, 65 House Democrats have joined Rep. Carson in cosponsoring the bill.

Yes, the ongoing conundrum of why Jews continue voting Democrat and Democrat politicians eagerly stick their heads in the nearest oven remains a mystery that I and others here and elsewhere have tried to wrap our non-gassed and decapitated heads around for years.

But, that said how does one explain the equally puzzling affinity for Islam that blacks have considering the history of the global African slave trade that by the way continues to this very day.

From its inception, Islam's history with the West has been one of unwavering antagonism and seismic clashes, often initiated by the former.  By the standards of history, nothing between the two civilizations is as well documented as this long war.  Accordingly, for more than a millennium, both educated and not so educated Europeans knew — the latter perhaps instinctively — that Islam was a militant creed that for centuries attacked and committed atrocities in their homelands, all in the name of "holy war," or jihad.
These facts have been radically "updated" in recent times.  According to the dominant narrative — as upheld by mainstream media and Hollywood, pundits and politicians, academics and "experts" of all stripes — Islam was historically progressive and peaceful, whereas premodern Europe was fanatical and predatory. 
Whatever else can be said about such topsy-turvy claims — and there is much — they raise the question: if such a formerly well known, well documented, and bloody history could be revised in a manner that presents its antithesis as the truth — with little objection or challenge — what then of Islam's more subtle but also negative influences on history, the sort that, unlike the aforementioned centuries of violence, are not copiously documented or readily obvious but require serious historical investigation?
Take Islam's role in facilitating the transatlantic slave trade — which is otherwise almost always presented as an exclusively European enterprise.

Speaking of the upcoming election, as well as the disaffection of blue collar workers for the Democrats, as well as what may or may not happen in the key swing states, There are several links in the Politics section regarding one of the most crucial, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, that seem to bode well for Donald Trump this go around. Of course, flooding Atlanta toilets and other possible and/or probable Democrat election rigging notwithstanding.

Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is warning Democrats not to underestimate Donald Trump's strong support in Pennsylvania, which is widely believed to be this year’s tipping-point state At the Atlantic Festival, he told Jeffrey Goldberg the race would be closer than many Democrats believe, noting that Trump’s influence has increased since his recent assassination attempt at a rally in the state.. .

This is not the first time Fetterman has suggested that the election in Pennsylvania would be really close, but he also said he believed Kamala would ultimately win.
 "I think if you match up Trump and Harris, which I think that's really what that this is really about, and I do believe [she’s] gonna win Pennsylvania,” he said back in August. “And, of course, it's gonna be close, but I've been maintaining that whether it's Biden, whether it was Clinton, or whether now it's with vice president Harris. It's gonna be very close, and I do believe she's gonna prevail.”
Fetterman, of course, also believed that Biden would win Pennsylvania, despite the unmistakable signs of Trump’s strength there. Before Joe Biden dropped out, Donald Trump held a nearly five-point lead in the RealClearPolitics average in the state, which was huge considering that "old Scranton Joe" has deep roots in the state yet was still struggling to keep up.
It’s also worth noting here that Fetterman may be somewhat responsible if Kamala Harris loses his state. He lobbied hard against her picking Gov. Josh Shapiro, and it is widely believed that had she picked Shapiro, she’d have a more consistent and solid lead in the state.

Oh, Lumpy. You're making me cry. Three guesses why Shapiro wasn't picked.

Have a good day.

I'm sure our friend and polling and elections guru extraordinaire Dave in Florida has thoughts on all this.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
• Victor Davis Hanson: As a general rule, anytime we read an election-cycle solicited letter from retired functionaries, replete with their grandiose former titles, we should completely discount it.
  Our So-called ‘Experts’ and their Silly Group-speak Letters
  
• Miranda Devine: Whether it’s Jill or someone else running the country, the bottom line is that we don’t have a functional president. 
  Who exactly is running the country? Certainly appears to be Jill Biden — and not Joe
  
• The Censorship Industrial Complex is now beginning to get baked into the university system for those who want to be diplomats and spooks. 
  Here's How Sinister the Deep State 'Blob' Censorship Operation Really Is

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:07 AM | Comments (429) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 23 September 2024

Top Story

• EU Bookburner General Terry Britain is gone, stabbed in the back by his political masters and dumped in an alley like a diseased dog even the Haitians won't touch, but the EU is still a giant socialist hagfish looking for its next meal, so what do America's big tech companies have to look forward to from his replacement? (Ars Technica)
  
  We don't know. This is a Wired article, so it is 100% content-free.
  
  Britain is being replaced by a Finnish center-right politician, Henna Virkkunen. But she's been in the European Parliament for ten years now, plenty of time for the Helsinki to rub off and the Brussels to soak in.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (109) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Overnight Open Thread - 09/22/2024
[Roger Ball]

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (382) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gun Thread: Six Frickin' Years (Plus a Week) 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!

Last Sunday the 'ol Gun Thread was understandably interrupted by current events in the form of a second attempt on President Trump's life. In this case the assassin didn't take a shot, but rather helpfully had the barrel of his rifle sticking out of some bushes which was noticed by the Secret Service. Unburdened (this time) by the inherent danger presented by a 1 degree sloped roof, the agents started shooting and chased the guy off. He was later captured thanks to the quick thinking of an alert bystander who managed to get the license number of the getaway car. We should all be thankful PDT wasn't hurt or worse. Spicy time may be closer than we think, so stay alert. Anyhoo, last Sunday was the sixth Gun Thread Anniversary and I am posting the thread from last week belatedly tonight.

Holy Atomic Anniversary Shitballs! Six years! It's hard for me to believe really. I have tried to do my best to say it during each of the last 312 Sundays, but thank you from the bottom of my dark and shriveled little heart. This place wouldn't be the fun place it is without each and everyone of YOU!

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 (379) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Food Thread: Brisket And Sauterelles Dans La Pâtisserie

That's brisket...Jewish style! or more accurately, Eastern European Jewish style. Given my druthers I would eat Texas smoked brisket, because it is the Platonic ideal. But the Jewish version ain't bad.

It's really just a pot roast with attitude. traditionally there are some sweet components to the recipe, and I have heard rumors of raisins in it. Yeah...that's weird, and I will not be putting anything silly in my brisket for Rosh Hashanah.

What I will be putting in is wine and ketchup, which don't seem to go together, but work nicely with the fattiness of the brisket.

What? Use just the flat? Nope...not in Chez Dildo. Remember the First Rule Of Fat? It adds flavor, and the point of the brisket has oodles of lovely, unctuous, flavorful fat. Managing that fat takes some effort, but it's nothing out of the ordinary with braises. I might trim a bit more than usual, but even that is okay, since I will happily render the trimmed fat for frying.

This is rapidly approaching axiom status.

Fat: eat it!

Any questions?

Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (256) | Trackbacks (Suck)

First-World Problems...

That looks vaguely disturbing. Ignoring the dried-out patty, this burger's structure is horrendous. But why?

Because some people who will remain anonymous actually put the condiments on the bottom! I know...shocking! But it was mentioned in polite company last week and I simply can't let it go!

I was with a bunch of friends, and out of the blue...bang! Condiments on the bottom was brought up as a First-World Problem. And that it most definitely is!

America has fought for too long and too hard to tolerate such food design and construction, and that is one thing I will not put up with. Wait... that is one thing up with which I will not put!

Whatever...just don't do it.

Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (281) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Here Are Some Numbers We Need To Remember: 10/23/1983...241

The Western elites and the United Nations and the various NGOs that ululate with rage every time Israel kills a pack of terrorists meeting in a school or a mosque or an apartment building (always conveniently filled with "mostly women and children") always neglect some perspective.

These people are murderers, and their targets are us. Oh, Israel is closer and more reviled, but these vile subhumans are perfectly happy to kill whatever Westerners they can reach, and on October 23rd, 1983 they killed 241 American servicemen in a suicide bombing of the United States Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. That was Hezbollah, on orders from Iran.

And Ibrahim Aqil was a member of the Hezbollah (called "Islamic Jihad") cell that was responsible for that and other bombings that killed mostly Westerners. Israel got him on Friday, along with a bunch of other murderous sociopaths in their attack on a Hezbollah meeting in Beirut.

Ignoring the obviously flawed political decisions that placed American servicemen in harm's way but did not provide sufficient protection or reasonable rules of engagement; why has Aqil been allowed by our intelligence services to draw breath for almost 40 years after that terrible day? Do they not have sufficient reason? Remember, there was a bombing in April 1983 of the United States Embassy in Beirut that killed 17 Americans...mostly CIA staff.

Israel should not have had the opportunity to kill this man. He should have been eliminated by an American strike a very long time ago. A bomb...a missile...a sniper...it doesn't matter, as long as we remember those who have harmed us and exact retribution.

The concept of an acceptable level of carnage got Israel in to its current predicament. For almost 20 years, the Israeli response to small-scale attacks from Gaza has been one of careful proportionality. Hamas kills a couple of Israelis, so Israel blows up a house in Gaza City. Tit-for-tat!

But the world isn't a playground, and allowing Israel's enemies the leisure to build a huge terror apparatus on the border was very, very obviously a huge mistake. And Israel made the same mistake in the North with Hezbollah.

Hopefully the sea change in Israel's perception of the threats on its borders, and more importantly, the unchanging and virulent hatred of Jews and Israel that is embedded in Hezbollah, Hamas, and the PA, will allow Israel to do what is necessary to protect itself. That includes the destruction of Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon and a permanent buffer that protects the North of Israel from further attacks. And then something must be done with Iran!

What will it take for America to undergo a similar sea change? We are beset on all sides by the same evils, and we can add China to the mix. An invasion across our Southern border has already occurred, and we are bumbling and fumbling and ignoring the potential disaster of thousands of bad actors who are here today.

Must we wait for a nuclear detonation on American soil? The invasion of an ally by China? Overt interference in domestic events (Oops! That is happening already)?
The saddest thing about our fecklessness in the face of these threats is that we have the tools at our disposal to manage them.

With the stroke of a pen, the president could support Iranian dissidents and begin the process of toppling the Mad Mullahs. We could close our borders and begin the ejection of the millions of invaders. We could confront China economically, and eject them from the halls of power in America.

We have the tools...the question is: when are we going to have the motivation?

Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM | Comments (249) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Morning Book Thread - 09-22-2024 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

(HT: TRex)

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. 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...

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

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM | Comments (319) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 22 September 2024

Top Story

• If you want to run Final Fantasy XVI at 4k 60Hz, you will need at least an RTX 5090, a graphics card that does not exist. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Well, if you turn on AI upscaling and frame generation an RTX 4090 will do it - just barely, and if you can find one.
  
  If you have a mere mortal video card like the RTX 4070 - not at all a slow card - you're looking at 1080p medium settings with upscaling and frame generation, and 41fps 1% lows.
  
  Why is a pretty normal game so demanding? Nobody knows.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (258) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Overnight Open Thread (9/21/24)

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 09:45 PM | Comments (452) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Evening Movie Thread [moviegique]: Deadpool & Wolverine vs. Victory

It's that time of the year again: Spooky season! Which for us begins with the first day of Knott's Halloween Haunt, always a Thursday. (And which, for a decade was so empty you didn't need to buy any special fast passes, but that time, oddly, has passed. Apparently not enough people have to work on Friday any more.) Given the variability of traffic patterns, we have for years journeyed down to Buena Park in the morning and killed time at the Korean movie theater before heading off to the park. Since our little experiment with totalitarianism a few years ago, that theater cut down its weekday hours to start late in the afternoon unfortunately.

Which left us in a position to watch our second top 20 film of the year: Deadpool & Wolverine. Let me say, first of all, that we didn't hate it. That's important because the rest of this review might make you think otherwise. It's mercifully short for a modern superhero flick, at two hours and seven minutes, though you sure as hell wouldn't it want to be any longer. A fourth-wall gag has Deadpool apologizing for the movie length, in fact, which actually pretty well sums up this movie: It's not just a commentary on the superhero genre, it's a commentary on the commentary.

This is what Hollywood is reduced to. Watching this—or any big budget movie these days—is sort of like watching your figure skating team at the Olympics when it's going through a bad patch. (Debi Thomas, anyone?) There's tremendous skill and a huge talent pool and craftsmanship everywhere, but you're just so sure someone's going to faceplant, you're ecstatic when they don't, and you kind of cheer too loudly when they accomplish something awkwardly but without crashing completely.

"She landed the single axel! Yeah!"

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:30 PM | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Hobby Thread - Sept 21, 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. A spin of the Ace of Spades wheel of hobbies has come up with a theme of Legos (or other similar building blocks) for this week.

Did you build things with Legos as a child? Do you still build as an adult? Do you follow the directions or make your own creations or both? What are your favorite builds? Do you collect Lego sets? What are your favorites? Do you assemble and display? Have you spent absurd amounts of money on small colored interlocking blocks? Is your collection organized by set or has it become a giant pile of mix and match pieces? Do you give Lego sets as gifts? Do you seek collectible Legos?

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM | Comments (198) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ace of Spades Pet Thread, September 21

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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.

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Posted by: K.T. at 03:23 PM | Comments (55) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Sept. 21

Happy Autumn - tomorrow!

The photo above is extra-special:

This is the beautiful walkway that my brother created for the front of the house. It's awesome to have so many flowers that you can take bouquets and still have tons of flowers!

In the front to the right, you may see the dark red potato plants - the deer hit it pretty hard. They've left us alone for the most part. I'll send a closeup.

The vegetable garden is in the background. You can see the tomato trellis and maybe the okra, which is pretty tall now.

Miley

WOW. Just Wow!

Now we have a better understanding of some of your past posts about plants, too.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:23 PM | Comments (49) | Trackbacks (Suck)