¡Martes por la tarde, enlaces mexicanos!

by | Nov 12, 2024 | Daily Links | 221 comments

My son had a baseball tournament over the long weekend. They played great on Saturday, and advanced out of the round robin round but fell short once they got to the double elimination stage. My son did well, pitched three good innings on Sunday but the game was already out of hand. The fun part was when he laid down a bunt in the final inning to get on base, then scoring the tying run.

We’re all dead tired now. ¡Enlaces!

Totally normal headlines coming from Mexico today.

Mexico’s new presidenté proposes a housing scheme that includes interest free mortgages for underserved buyers. I’m sure it will work the same way it has before.

I was specifically told Latin Americans were a lost cause because they are somehow culturally predisposed to communism.

Poverty in Latin America is the lowest in over 30 years but don’t worry, now the UN is worried about inequality!

The part that surprised me, is Spirit Airlines flies international routes.

Javier Milei privatizes Correo Argentino (their postal service).

The new tune that’s worn out already. I’m a bit underwhelmed by the new singer.

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mexican sharpshooter

mexican sharpshooter

WARNING: Glibertarians.com contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. https://youtu.be/qiAyX9q4GIQ?t=2m22s

221 Comments

  1. UnCivilServant

    Latin Americans were a lost cause because they are somehow culturally predisposed to communism.

    I thought it was genetic?

    • Nephilium

      Whoever had created humanity had left in a major design flaw. It was its tendency to bend at the knees.

      –PTerry – Feet of Clay

    • Urthona

      Trump needs to import more male Hispanics.

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      I do think it’s true that people bring their cultural habits with them.

      That includes the myriad of reasons why every LA country is a 3rd world dump, but then they also bring their other cultural habits too, which, in this case, includes being social conservatism from being overwhelmingly Catholic to the core.

      They *might* like welfare, or they might not, but they definitely don’t like trannies and other woke bullshit.

      Also, we should not fall into the trap of equating unfettered migrants crossing the border with immigration. Both sides do that for their advantage, but it’s dishonest on both sides.

      • SDF-7

        Once they kneel and take the Holy Dorito-eucharist, all will be forgiven by the gods of the left. Until then — they’re nacho voters.

      • juris imprudent

        but it’s dishonest on both sides

        Oh, you mean politics as usual?

      • Urthona

        Irish, Italian, polish, etc.

        Every single imported group is hard left… for awhile. give it a number of decades and they’re all Republican.

    • R C Dean

      I thought it was “Latin Americans are money in the bank because they are culturally predisposed to communism.”

      That’s what the Dems were telling me, anyway.

  2. LCDR_Fish

    Saw a link earlier (probably twitter) – that Zapata county in TX moved further right (higher % latino vote – mexican-american) for Trump than the Cubans in FL (first time ever I think?).

    • Nephilium

      There was a county in Texas that went Republican for the first time since the 1800’s.

    • SDF-7

      I assume that’s the county that Sonny Hostin (I think that’s her name) on The View immediately said was doing so solely out of sexism. Nothing to do with the border! She knows what is lurking in the hearts of men!

      • Raven Nation

        It’s kind of interesting take. A good friend of mine who’s a reasonably thoughtful progressive thought that Harris lost on the margins because of sexism. That is, she acknowledged Harris was a bad candidate but that people who weren’t sure who to vote for, made their decision based on gender.

        Unless you’re attributing that solely to swing voters, aren’t you suggesting that it’s some Democrats who couldn’t vote for a woman?

      • Nephilium

        Raven Nation:

        I thought the primary in 2020 already showed that Democrats wouldn’t vote for that one particular woman.

      • Raven Nation

        Neph: true. My point (which I think you got) was: the implied accusation is that a woman can’t become sexist because we’re a nation of misogynists. That might be true, but the only think we know for sure is that women running on the Democrat ticket can’t win because not enough Dems want to vote for them.

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        There probably are a handful of men who won’t vote for a women. They are balanced, or maybe even outnumbered, by people who want to vote for a woman.

      • Nephilium

        RN:

        Oh yes, I got the point. There have been several pieces that specifically called out Hispanic (for some reason, it was always Hispanic in this usage, never Latinx) males for their misogyny and why Harris failed. They were also using misogyny as the reason that Harris lost working class blacks as well.

        Just pointing out once again that Harris couldn’t even score a single delegate for herself in the 2020 primary. She was quite obviously a shite candidate.

      • Urthona

        No mention of the fact she performed better than white male Biden was projected to from the same admin.

  3. kinnath

    My second favorite Tuesday featured photo.

      • kinnath

        scroll down

  4. Suthenboy

    A lot of cultures from around the entire world….well, most of them actually…are predisposed to collectivism. That does not mean every individual in those cultures are. Our culture is very different in that respect, which is why a lot of people from those cultures come here: to escape collectivism. Also why we have plenty of home grown collectivists.

    I am not foolish enough to make the associative fallacy and lump together ‘latinos’ or ‘hispanics’ as each of those labels are meaningless. Culture is not meaningless and stereotypes exist for a reason but let’s just go ahead and judge people on their individual character anyway.

    • UnCivilServant

      I threw in the towel early on. Their TDS was too strong to push through.

      • Tonio

        I report. You decide.

  5. The Late P Brooks

    Poverty in Latin America is the lowest in over 30 years but don’t worry, now the UN is worried about inequality!

    Every silver lining has a cloud.

    And-

    More than 170 million people in the region are affected by poverty, particularly in Haiti, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

    The people are almost universally and equally impoverished. so they’ve got that going for them.

  6. Shpip

    Latin American poverty levels in 2023 fell to a 33-year low, led by progress in Brazil, the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) said in a report on Tuesday, even as severe inequality persists in the region.

    Fewer poor people. Yay!
    UN: We need everyone to be equally poor. For great justice.

    ECLAC said Latin America is marked by high inequality, limited social mobility, and weak social cohesion, underpinned by inadequate social policies and weak protection systems.

    Y’know… maybe they could try something radical, like rule of law and property rights. I know… that’s just crazy talk.

  7. The Other Kevin

    I just broke it to Mom and Dad that MSNBC is for sale, and CNN is firing a lot of people. Mom says they might have to sell their TV. Miracles never cease.

    • Sean

      I shouldn’t laugh, but I’m gonna anyway. 🙂

      Trump is fixing everything!

    • trshmnstr

      they might have to sell their TV

      That is the single best thing they could do for their mental health.

      • The Other Kevin

        Agreed.

      • The Other Kevin

        Imagine Elon personally firing Rachael Maddow.

      • kinnath

        That would be awesome

      • SandMan

        Elon might accidentally fire Mark Cuban by mistake.

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        Live on air. The ratings would go through the roof.

      • Pope Jimbo

        TOK:

        Don’t fire her. She’s under contract, enforce it. She goes on the air and tows the new Elon Lion, or she just sits there.

        If you fire her, she can go somewhere else and keep blathering on. Keep the contract and silence her for a while.

      • Spudalicious

        Fox did that to Tucker.

      • juris imprudent

        I’d rather see Elon tell her “you work for me now” and remind her of her contractual obligations and how she would forfeit all future income by quitting. If she shows some resolve then spring “and you’ll be reading the content you are given”.

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        And it didn’t work. It only enraged Tucker, and when he finally broke from the cage he became one of the biggest forces in all of media, haunting Fox.

        Let’s not repeat that mistake.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Why? Are they afraid Elon Musk is going to buy all news networks and replace them with X news?

      • R.J.

        Worse things could happen. He needs some live version of community notes.

      • Urthona

        Don’t see Elon bothering.

        He already has the best news source.

      • OBJ FRANKELSON

        William Randolph Hearst approves.

  8. The Late P Brooks

    Scanning the headlines, I see Trump appears to have put up a bunch of names for his cabinet appointments. Just the other day I saw a report from a highly reputable source claiming his transition would be a shambles because he was completely unprepared and disorganized. Could that report have been some sort of disinfo to dissuade people from voting for him?

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      No way. You need to believe me over your lying eyes, heretic.

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      Trump’s 4 years wandering the wilderness might have been a good thing. He’ll be prepared this time. Hopefully.

      He’s like Moses, but 10 times faster.

      • Pope Jimbo

        He’s like Moses, but 10 times faster.

        So he will descend on the golden escalator with 30 sacred tweets?

    • Spudalicious

      That report was because Trump refused to sign the GSA contract. The GSA traditionally handles the transition, but Trump said “no thanks”.

  9. SDF-7

    I’m a bit underwhelmed by the new singer.

    What in the name of holy hell was that? (I haven’t kept up with them.. at all…) Linkin Depeche Mode Park?

    In case I’m being subtle — no, that really didn’t work for me – at least not on my first impression. Forgive me, I’m going to go listen to In The End for the 4000th time or so to evict that from my mind.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      What in the name of holy hell was that? (I haven’t kept up with them.. at all…) Linkin Depeche Mode Park?

      I was trying to be nice!

      • Spudalicious

        That song sucked.

    • rhywun

      Even some districts in NYC shifted toward Donald – anywhere there are a lot of Latinos.

      • rhywun

        lol Pressed the wrong button – ignore

    • rhywun

      Linkin Depeche Mode Park

      You’re making me consider listening to Linkin Park willingly for once.

  10. The Late P Brooks

    I just broke it to Mom and Dad that MSNBC is for sale, and CNN is firing a lot of people.

    I would think they would be thanking their lucky stars to be going back to all TDS all the time. Rage sells.

    • SDF-7

      From the post-election articles, it looks like the flat out lies about the state of the Harris campaign may have finally exhausted their faith in the bubble. We’ll see if the rage boners bring them back after they’ve had their time to scream into the uncaring void for a while, I expect.

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        Losing the popular vote also has dampened some of the righteous anger.

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        I don’t know if it was lies, or sheer incompetence and confirmation bias to the extreme. I’m just not sure what there waiting be to gain by overtly lying about something where the truth is destined to come out. There was going to be an election. They could not hide from that, especially if they *knew* they would lose.

        But I’d say their picture (It’s neck and neck! And our horse has the slight edge!) juxtaposed against reality is a very stark sight to see, and that disparity between their fiction and reality is exactly the sort of result I expect from the party of DEI.

  11. Tonio

    Javier Milei privatizes Correo Argentino (their postal service).

    ITFA it says he opened up mail delivery to private competition rather than privatizing their state-run postal service.

    • SDF-7

      So maybe a competitor could start up some sort of united parcel service or something?

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      I wonder how competitive a mail service in the US could be (in a fictional world where we open competition). From what I understand, the advent of the internet and email was the start of the end for snail mail, and that the USPS is basically kept afloat only because of junk mail and heavily subsidized packages.

      Is there even a demand for an actual mail service anymore? I send perhaps 1 stamped envelope via snail mail once every 2 or 3 years at this point.

      • Nephilium

        FedEx/UPS/DHS/etc. would likely step in, but are prohibited from doing so.

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        Right, but could they do normal mail profitably?

        I’m not sure they could.

      • Spudalicious

        If you eliminate bulk mail, USPS goes the way of the Dodo.

      • Nephilium

        Spud/MW:

        They could do normal mail profitably, if by normal mail you mean deliveries 2-3 times a week, at a cost of several bucks per letter, then probably. Pretty sure they’ve got better delivery and logistics systems in place compared to USPS.

      • Grumbletarian

        if by normal mail you mean deliveries 2-3 times a week, at a cost of several bucks per letter, then probably.

        Deliver mail once a week. Want to mail something? Drive your own ass to the post office or have it sit in the mailbox until they come get it.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Tomato :: Tomater

  12. The Late P Brooks

    Truth to power

    When Donald Trump was first elected to the US presidency in 2016, Nature advised scientists to constructively engage with Trump. We said that the incoming president’s contrary approach to evidence, among other things, had no place in modern society. We added that the science community had a responsibility to step up and work with the president and his new administration so that they govern on the basis of research and evidence.

    And yet, during Trump’s first term, the world saw a government that ignored and undermined efforts to address some of the world’s greatest problems, such as climate change and a global pandemic. Many researchers left US federal science agencies, their place sometimes taken by lobbyists and political appointees.

    The United States has now re-elected Donald Trump as president. Many researchers have told Nature that they are in despair, seeing the election result as a step backwards for facts, reason, knowledge and civility.

    Last week, Nature said that the United States needs a leader who respects evidence. The incoming administration must embody this principle. On behalf of the research community, we will hold it to account if it falls short.

    Vive la resistance.

    • trshmnstr

      address some of the world’s greatest problems, such as climate change and a global pandemic

      Yeah, here’s the disconnect. I consider rampant technocracy, cynical lying from credential officials, and censorship to be bigger problems than a made up envirocrisis and a moderately annoying respiratory virus leaked from a biolab.

      • Evan from Evansville

        All of this. Add the endless printing your way ‘out’ of debt. No one seems to care, even when they can feel it in their wallets. I don’t really get it. I suppose the prices don’t get jacked up all at once, but rather rise in rather semi-incremental ways ya tune out. A lot like gas prices til they break an arbitrary barrier.

        My first refill was in ’03. I was incensed to have to pay $1.50. Hrm. Like all animals, humans are frequently quite silly creatures.

      • Raven Nation

        To build on that, here are some of the subjects covered in the Science podcast (from the American Association for the Advancement of Science). Worthy of study? Probably. Science? No. And that’s just the obvious ones from the last year.

        Yeah, it’s hard to imagine why chunks of the American population don’t pay attention to scientists.

        How to deal with backsliding democracies (Oct. 17)
        The Future of Money (June 27)
        Environmental Toll of War in Ukraine (Jan. 11; science but, seriously, that’s what moves the meter for you?)
        Cryptocurrency as legal tender in El Salvador (Dec. 2023)
        How much stuff do you need to escape poverty (Oct. 2023)

        https://www.science.org/podcasts

      • R C Dean

        I would call COVID more of a bad flu bug than a moderately annoying virus, but your point stands.

    • The Other Kevin

      We need to get back to Trust the Science ™.

    • juris imprudent

      govern on the basis of research and evidence

      Not that we scientist-activists have any evidence.

    • Suthenboy

      More grifters…in a panic because they will likely be exposed and defunded. Fuck ’em. That would be the best thing that could happen to science.

      • juris imprudent

        I hope we get a massive cut in funding of stupidity, but that does come out of Congress, and how much hope can you invest there?

      • R C Dean

        + 1 continuing resolution

  13. DEG

    Six weeks after taking office, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is contending with a nationwide wave of violence, and is facing increasingly urgent questions about what she plans to do about it.

    Mexico just needs a better constitution.

    • Suthenboy

      They could start by passing strict gun control laws. It’s only common sense.

    • rhywun

      My first thought reading that was “how is this any different from what I have been hearing about Mexico for the last decade or three?”

  14. DEG

    Shelly Luther wins election

    Shelley Luther, the former North Texas salon owner who made national headlines after she reopened her salon in defiance of COVID-19 shutdown orders during the pandemic, was elected to the state house.

    Luther defeated Democrat Tiffany Drake Tuesday with nearly 78% of the vote (66,959 votes) in District 62 representing Fannin, Grayson, Franklin and Delta counties.

    She defeated Reggie Smith in the Republican primary in a rematch with 53% of the vote to face Drake in the general election.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Awesome!

    • Shpip

      Not the first legislator who was very skilled at scissoring.

      • juris imprudent

        You’re going to come to regret that remark.

      • bacon-magic

        Sometimes you gotta pull the hair to get something done.

      • Pope Jimbo

        JI:

        Are you dis-tressed by DEG’s comment?

  15. The Other Kevin

    Anyone think we’re going to see the end of Woke-Speak sometime soon? I can imagine a Trump EO that eliminates it, and just the Dems and activists will keep using pronouns and things, and they will eventually seem like some alien culture.

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      I think we’ll actually see a spike in woke talk, specifically around the places you’d think like college campuses and HR offices.

      But I also think that the fear of being called a racist and allowing the woke to steamroll everyone is over, and people won’t put up with it. Before the election, I’d feel fine with simply ignoring idiocy. Since the election, however, I know that I can safely respond with a hearty laugh while telling them they’re brainwashed drones.

      I think many of us Americans are now there. Telling a woke fucker to fuck off might even garner support in public now, and not social destruction for you and your business.

      Once they learn the game is up, they’ll adjust and change tactics, and it’ll start all over again.

      • bacon-magic

        Received a work email with pronouns. I charged them more. #sucker/rube

    • Nephilium

      It will just be replaced by new shibboleths and language. Hell, pretty sure we all remember when this was just PC bullshit.

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        They will regroup. Woke is a metastasized version of PC. It never really got any sort of rebuke socially or politically.

        Until now.

        But like you said, they will find a new system by which they can blame white men for all of the problems in the world. It might take a few years to get their claptrap circulating in the journals and then through university classrooms, but whatever they come back with will almost assuredly be just another fig leaf for socialism, and equally as stupid.

  16. Evan from Evansville

    Well-done, your son. That’s a slick box score for a game. A grand aspect of baseball: Unlike (pretty much) every other sport, it doesn’t matter what your body type is. Big, small. Fat, skinny. There’s a place for ya in the game. (As long as you can play.)

    • mexican sharpshooter

      He is the smallest kid on the team, but he’s also the youngest due to his birthday being in May,

      • Evan from Evansville

        Eee! I was the smallest kid on mine. Cuz uniforms went by size, I went with 1 and stuck to the number when I could. Lead-off hitter and a pretty good catcher. (I wasn’t afraid to DO it. By Little League definition, if ya ain’t afraid, you’re a damn good catcher. But I was an All-Star catcher and kept my lead-off spot.) I’m quite happy being a little Craig Biggio. I also usually played second when I wasn’t catching.

        Many big things are indeed kept in small packages. (I was never, ever the best player on any team I was ever on. Suits me well.)

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      That’s only sorta true. Yes, small guys like Altuve *can* play ball if they can ball.

      But realistically, most baseball players are more like Mike Trout than Jose Altuve. The average baseball player is 6’2” 210lbs, which is a pretty big dude.

      Pitchers are even bigger at a 6’3” average. You will have to be exceptionally good to even get a look from pro scouts if you’re not AT LEAST 6’2”, and even taller is better. Cy Young winners average at 6’4”.

      I live thoroughly in the local baseball world (MS-HS aged kids hoping to play college baseball one day). Size is not a necessity, but every coach looks at it as a primary characteristic.

      • Evan from Evansville

        Correct, but MLB has a much broader range. I added that non coinky-dink: Ya gotta be able to play. Yeah, a 7′ dude *could* be a world-class soccer player. Or more Muggsy Bogues’ in the NBA. They’re remarkably rare for a reason. But in baseball? 5-7.5′ tall, from 140-330lb. There’s a spot for ya. Powerlifters and boxers fight in the same weight class. (“Only fair!” <– Fuck. That's accurate for a reason.)

        But yep. Gotta be able to play, and bunting is playing. Just a different way of playing. Hopefully, a curve ball for the defense to adapt to. Nowhere near the range of body sizes/shapes exist in other sports. I love *being* the underdog.

        One of Evan's Iron Rules: "Never underestimate the power of being underestimated." (Unless you lose for good, all of life is based on failing til ya Can.) Regularly being defeated is a good lesson for humans to learn. The worst MLB team will beat the best ~35% of the time. Other sports are not as 'forgiving' with their schedules, but the Day-in-Day-Out life of Trouts, Ohtanis and Judges being beat that frequently is a good thing for folk to get adapted to, winners and losers. (I'm sure we can think of a few judges who should seek remedial… therapy, I'll say. Yes. *Feels safe*

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        Yep. We repeatedly teach our players that baseball is a sport of failure, and that hard work will take you further in the long run than natural ability alone. And it’s absolutely true in baseball.

        A HS grad recently at a major D1 university. He was a top recruited player in the state. Threw low 90s as a sophomore. Kid was the real deal. Carved up absolutely everyone. After 1 year of college baseball, a year in which he did not play, he is now out of college baseball, and competitive baseball forever.

        His younger brother, now a HS senior. Not nearly as big, not nearly as naturally talented, nor athletic. He’s just committed to a smaller school, as has more hunger to get better everyday. Give him another year or two, and he’ll be better than his brother ever was, and ever will be, despite being less of an athlete and having substantially less natural talent for the game.

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      Bunting is winning.

  17. Shpip

    Re: the monkey story from this morning. Turns out you can roast them, braise them, smoke them, broil them, sauté them, deep-fry them, or even grill them.

    There’s no wrong way to eat a rhesus.

  18. Tundra

    Totally normal headlines coming from Mexico today.

    Just keep that shit away from Nayarit, por favor.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      I promise nothing

      • Tundra

        Fine, just wait until January.

  19. The Late P Brooks

    The research community must engage with the new administration with courage, tenacity, strength and unity. At the same time, scientists in the United States must know that they are not alone. The research community is a global one. We need to stand together and stand strong for the challenges that are to come. And that will mean continuing to speak facts to power.

    Sure, pal. When you look in the mirror you see the Tiananmen Square tank man instead of a pasty-faced bureaucrat, don’t you?

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      Unity. Because science is about unity.

      • rhywun

        Scientists of the World Unite!

    • Pope Jimbo

      I think they are more self aware than that. They look in the mirror and see the Tianamen tank driver with the will to do the right thing!

      They’d mash the accelerator in the tank and squash that dirty MAGA protester standing in front of them, holding back Progress.

    • SDF-7

      But what happened to Russian Dynomutt?

  20. ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

    Donald Trump’s campaign strategy, which we helped execute on the ground in some states, was: “Guys, don’t spend your time knocking on doors trying to convince suburban soccer moms weighing their options.” It takes nine points of contact to try to get her on board, involving conversations that could be 30 minutes long. Instead, Turning Point spent time in very Republican areas targeting non-registered or what we called “disengaged voters.” People who liked Trump and his worldview, like the “bro vote.” This is where we focused, and we harvested — not ballot-harvested — but we harvested in a very powerful way. At Arizona State University, for example, we registered thousands of young men to vote in fraternities. That was far easier than trying to win over swing voters. We did a bit of that, but generally, the Trump campaign was brilliant because they threw out the traditional Republican consultant playbook.

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/11/12/charlie_kirk_trump_campaign_threw_out_the_republican_consultant_playbook_instead_turn_supporters_into_voters.html

    • Urthona

      Smart

    • mexican sharpshooter

      It turned out to be a smart strategy. Rather than go after suburban women, they went after their sons.

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        A really brilliant political move, IMO.

        The boys/men they targeted have been the victims of woke ideology. It’s the first generation of boys through the woke factory from start to finish.

        They went after the boys the left has told us is The Problem, and Trump told them that not only not the problem, but that through doing the great things that men have always done, they will be the solution.

    • Evan from Evansville

      Actually be appealing to folk? Especially a majority?!

      Yeah. That ain’t Team Blue’s style.

    • juris imprudent

      Given the Republican playbook starts with the concession speech, a good move.

    • Spudalicious

      Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA are deserved a debt of gratitude from Trump.

    • The Other Kevin

      It will be funny to see the Dems freak out about that. Oh no, muh CIA! Oh no, muh Big Pharma!

  21. The Late P Brooks

    Is there even a demand for an actual mail service anymore? I send perhaps 1 stamped envelope via snail mail once every 2 or 3 years at this point.

    I still write checks and mail them to pay my bills.

    • Rat on a train

      I let the bank handle that for me. It saves me a check, an envelope, and a stamp.

    • trshmnstr

      I still write checks and mail them to pay my bills.

      I don’t have a checkbook for either of my checking accounts.

      • rhywun

        Rent is the only thing I pay by check. I would do that online too but there is a fee and that is just unthinkable to me.

    • Urthona

      All press conferences must include mandatory bikini.

      • Tundra

        You are a visionary.

    • R.J.

      Aren’t commie players kneeling anyways? At least he was standing up.

      • rhywun

        Kneeling seems to have completely disappeared from American sports.

        English soccer? Still doing it before every match. I don’t know how the fans are putting up with it.

    • Nephilium

      With my dad it sure as shit was, as well as removing your hat. Now, I see people still getting beer and snacks while the anthem plays… as it should be.

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        I insist on observing the anthem out of tradition, and not fealty.

        The same reason I bow my head at the dinner table when I’m at grandad’s house.

        Tradition is important, even if it’s performative.

      • Nephilium

        Muzzled Woodchipper:

        At least at the local park, the announcers don’t even end it with “Let’s Play Ball!” at the end. It feels like it’s missing something without that.

      • Urthona

        I usually do it because I want the people sitting near me to think I’m a good guy.

        Suckers.

      • Pope Jimbo

        I’m still a guy who doffs his hat and puts his hand over his heart during the anthem. Make sure the Altar Boys do too. Others? Live and let live, I am not going to bug anyone about it.

        That said, I got into it with an old woman at the last Vikings game I attended because I wouldn’t hold up the little placard under my seat to make some grand design. It was the Veteran’s Day game and if everyone held up their placard, it would have been a moving tribute to the vets.

        I declined to stand and hold my placard up. The lady in the row in front of me took umbrage. I told her that I served in the Marines and now that I’m out I never, ever have to participate in group stupidity again. Looking back at my life the Marines did more to turn me into a libertarian than just about anyone.

      • Tundra

        I always doff the hat and hit the heart. I don’t care what others do – it was what the dudes in my life did.

      • rhywun

        I wouldn’t hold up the little placard under my seat to make some grand design.

        I’m too go along to get along for that. I observe the anthem stuff for the same reason.

    • rhywun

      I don’t think I’ve ever seen the camera trained on commentators during an anthem. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      Anyway I’d be surprised if as many as half the players did the hand on heart.

    • Mojeaux

      Shit, I’m the girl who doesn’t put her hand over her heart during the anthem because I’m too busy wiping the tears off my face.

      I swear, I am the most susceptible human being ever to nationalistic emotional manipulation and jingoism. Sue me.

    • Pope Jimbo

      I get away with shooting a couple meals worth of squirrels every fall out of our apple tree with something like this. I’m not sure my neighbors would keep turning a blind eye on my activities if I had a scary looking bb-gun like the ones you guys linked to.

      *I’m also wondering if the Peanut story might have screwed things up for me. These are wild squirrels (or as wild as suburban gray squirrels can get).

  22. The Late P Brooks

    NPR headline:

    Trump promises a mass deportation on Day 1. What might that look like?

    Offhand, I’d guess everybody awaiting release into the interior of the country is going to get bussed back over the border.

    • Tundra

      I still think cutting off benefits will be the fastest and most effective.

      • bacon-magic

        ^^^
        Or maybe a combo- cut off benefits then tell them they need to reapply then arrest away.

      • rhywun

        So much this.

        Not one damn dime. Unfortunately there seems to be no way to stop states and localities from giving them my money.

    • Sensei

      But who will pick our food out of CA’s farmland?

      • mexican sharpshooter

        Migrants with a work visa?

      • Sensei

        No way….

        If it’s anything like nj the same ones come back year after year on the visa.

        It’s skilled dependent on the crop.

    • Pope Jimbo

      There are so many choke points that you could use to either round up the illegal aliens or at least stop them from using the benefits.

      Schools. Make part of enrollment be showing valid proof that they are entitled to being in the country. Welfare offices. You should have to go down to the welfare office and pick up your bennies in person. If they can’t prove they are here legally, nab them.

      • Nephilium

        Pretty sure there’s already a law saying that the schools can’t require proof of citizenship.

      • Pope Jimbo

        Neph:

        I’m pretty sure you are right, but with all three branches of govt (and as I keep seeing in proggie predictions of doom – a 6/3 edge in the SC). Laws can be changed.

        Prove to me that this isn’t just another standard GOP majority that refuses to actually do anything.

      • rhywun

        Prove to me that this isn’t just another standard GOP majority that refuses to actually do anything.

        I bet there are still a lot of incumbents who will side with the Dems on this issue. We’ll see I guess.

  23. Shpip

    We can keep the charade going a little longer…

    New York — President-elect Donald Trump’s criminal conviction lives on, at least for another week.

    A New York judge on Tuesday deferred making an immediate decision on whether presidential immunity should have prevented jurors from seeing certain evidence at Trump’s trial this spring — and if the verdict should be tossed.

    Justice Juan Merchan said he will rule next week on whether a July Supreme Court ruling granting Trump presidential immunity for official acts precludes a jury from finding him guilty after a criminal trial this spring.

    Let’s allow the lefties their “cOnViCtEd FeLoN” delusion until Thanksgiving, at least.

    • Rat on a train

      They need something to talk about with their fascist relatives.

      • Pope Jimbo

        Mos def. They need the “convicted of 34 felonies” talking point to educate their knuckle dragging relatives.

  24. The Late P Brooks

    Bailing out

    Chris Wallace says he’s leaving CNN after three years and, at age 77, is eager to see what a transformed media environment has to offer.

    “When I look at the media landscape right now, the people who are going independent, whether it’s podcasting or streaming, that seems to be where the action is,” he said Tuesday.

    It’s hard to find a clearer sign of how the business is changing. Wallace is the quintessential broadcast newscaster, son of the CBS News legend Mike Wallace, worked at both ABC and NBC News and was host of “Fox News Sunday” for 18 years before exiting for CNN in 2021.

    He was hired to be a leading personality for the CNN+ streaming service, which the company abandoned a month after its launch in 2022. That forced him to cobble together a role at CNN, with a Saturday morning political show and a broader interview program on Max, and appearances on the network as a commentator.

    Does anybody care what he has to say? I guess he’ll find out.

    • B.P.

      Next up: Trends identifier Chris Wallace says superhero movies could become a big thing.

    • rhywun

      Good grief. Do these people not ever retire anymore?

    • mexican sharpshooter

      WTF is that?

    • R.J.

      I like the look of the Akira scooter. Kymco makes cheap scooters though – That looks quite expensive.

  25. The Late P Brooks

    Inconceivable

    Experts tell TIME that dismantling the Department of Education is likely improbable. “It is entirely feasible to close down the Department of Education, but the functions of the Department of Education will need to continue,” says Ted Mitchell, president of American Council on Education, an organization that convenes higher education associations to discuss student issues.

    That’s because the Education Department has numerous moving parts. It houses the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws across schools to protect students against discrimination. Regulations by the Education Department also affect college sports, which Josh Cowen, an education policy Michigan State University professor and author of The Privateers, How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers, says Republicans would likely not want to see impacted.

    Grants or funds designated by Congress would also need a new federal home. “They’re going to have to also take the federal programs and the funding streams that they want to continue to reauthorize, and find new institutional homes for that,” Cowen adds.

    If those things are being done, they must by definition be necessary. They can never be discontinued.

    • Urthona

      Some of the stuff it does will absolutely stay I’m afraid. Trump doesn’t have the balls to end all its functions.

      • R.J.

        A bit. Where there’s a grift there is a way. I hope for near total shutdown.

      • Urthona

        There’s so much stuff like grants and loans that will have to go under a different branch again I think.

        While no student loans would probably be amazing, trump just ain’t that radical.

      • Spudalicious

        I’m not going to denigrate the guy if he turns it into a figurehead, but it still exists.

    • R.J.

      “… functions of the Department of Education will need to continue”

      My ass. Hold Elon’s beer, then listen to the sounds of silence after the doors shut for the last time.

      • Pope Jimbo

        Remember when Elon cut the workers at X down to the bone and everyone predicted that there was no way it would still be able to run?

        Seems like a lot of people really do need an appointment with the two Bobs.

    • juris imprudent

      to continue to reauthorize

      Exactly what I expect Congress – even with Republican leadership – to do.

  26. The Late P Brooks

    Maxi-scooters are great for longer, faster commutes compared to lower-capacity 50-175cc scooters. Their higher-capacity, higher-powered engines, better onboard electronics, comfort features, and increased weather protection make them much more usable and comfy at highway speeds.

    A guy I worked with told me one of his friends had something similar, only gas internal combustion. This was probably late ’90s. I can’t remember who made it or what the model name was. It was a flat floor step through design. He said it was like going 70mph on a Barcalounger.

    • R.J.

      There is/was the Burgman, and the Princess.

    • Pope Jimbo

      I should start taking some pics of the tricked out scooters I’m seeing the Japanese fisherman ride. They have things set up to carry their rods and tackle.

  27. The Late P Brooks

    It’s no secret that LiveWire never exactly won over the hearts and minds of Harley-Davidson’s core customer base, many of whom seemed personally offended by the company’s move into quiet electrics. Splitting the brands apart was a wise move, if perhaps a little late coming, because if a certain segment of the Harley faithful found out that the same bar ‘n’ shield logo they had tattooed across their chests was going on a pair of maxi-scooters? Maxi-scooters painted in gentle pastel blue and beige colors? Well, there may well have been blood in the streets of Milwaukee.

    But now that Livewire’s a totally separate thing, adding these scoots to its portfolio is a sign the young motorcycle manufacturer is ready to move out of H-D’s shadow and explore its own interests, catering to a different kind of user with unique needs and preferences. It calls for a focus on a younger, largely urban audience.

    No kidding. I had not heard that Harley Ferguson spun off the battery bike division.

    • Pope Jimbo

      But the Harley-Davidson E-bike was the perfect product!

      Harley-Davidson has halted production of its first electric motorbike after finding a glitch in its charging system.

      The company began shipping the £28,995 105-horsepower LiveWire bikes to dealers in the US last month.

      It says existing bikes are safe but must be charged at dealerships, which will take an hour, rather than using the lower-voltage outlets in homes.

      What dealer wouldn’t love to force their customers to drop by every time they wanted to charge their bike?

      • Sensei

        From my Google it was in 2019 and a handful of bikes all since fixed.

      • Pope Jimbo

        Sensei:

        Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that the “feature” in my link was current or still active. It was just me mocking HD. In 2017 I was part of a big project with HD to connect their motorcycles. HD was concerned that kids weren’t buying their bikes and thought that if they only made it easy to connect their bikes to social media platforms, everything would be solved.

        The project didn’t ever go anywhere for multiple reasons. What I remember most is that you’d trot out some demo showing something pretty cool from a technical point of view, only to have the HD folx gasp in horror because you had used the wrong logo image or there was something in the wrong color. HD exists far more as a brand now than it does as a company that builds bikes. We were given a style guide that was over a hundred pages long and got yelled at if we deviated in any way from it.

        Anyhow. There were other issues with the LiveWire too.

        Harley-Davidson is recalling about 1,000 LiveWire electric motorcycles. The recall reportedly stems from a software problem with the bike’s onboard charging system (OBC).
         
        Harley says the above OBC software problem may cause an unexpected loss of propulsion of the bike while it is in motion. In addition, riders may not be able to re-start or keep the motorcycle re-started. All of these factors may increase the risk of a crash.

        That is from 2020 and they had a software fix for it.

      • Sensei

        I remembered you mentioning your working with HD and exactly that.

        Nothing says “born to be wild” like being able to automatically instagram your 3 mile ride.

  28. Ozymandias

    Hey, Glibs. I will be infre

    • R.J.

      Infrequently inconsistent?

  29. Ozymandias

    Hey, there, Glibs.
    Another crash story goes up at 7, but my wife got me tix to the Bruins v. Blues in St. Louis and we drove 4 hours to hang out before the game, so I may be sparse on the post tonight (yet again), although I will check in between periods and after.

    FWIW, tonight is the actual story of my crash, so probably better for my PTSD not to relive. (J/K, I’m fine. My PTSD is from the first wife.)

    • Tundra

      Enjoy the game!

      (Fuck the Blues)

  30. Aloysious

    Speaking out my ass because I don’t know, but I wonder if Latin Amercans voted for Trump because they perceive him to have a lot of machismo.

    I’m sure there are many different reasons, but I ask that because the traditional Republican candidate is not so masculine.

    • Aloysious

      And now that I’ve started to read the comments, I see that question has already been answered.

      Bah.

      I blame work sucking the big one today.

      • R.J.

        Indeed it has. Cheers to you, Aloysius!

  31. The Late P Brooks

    It houses the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws across schools to protect students against discrimination.

    It’s too bad there isn’t an entire government bureaucracy dedicated to enforcing the law. A place where stuff like that could be handled. They could give it a catchy name, like maybe the “Department of Justice”.

    • Tundra

      No kidding. I often forget what fuckheads people were when we were young.

      Bleach? Really?

      Thanks, Holiness. That was beautiful.

  32. Tundra

    Hockey fan? Like the folks in the military?

    https://unitedheroesleague.org/

    Just listened to the founder on a podcast. They used to be Defend The Blue Line. Worse places to drop a few bucks.

    • Pope Jimbo

      Looks like a fine organization, but what happened to the days when there was a big pile of community gear that kids who wanted to play could use?

      I remember that one of the best things about getting older was you got first crack at the good gear. The youngsters got the crappiest stuff (and the smallest).

      When my kids started sportz, I was stunned that I had to buy so much equipment. Shoot, my kids had nicer uniforms for football than I had playing varsity in high school. My uniform in high school had multiple holes in it because it had been used for decades. My kids had professional decals for their helmets.

      • Tundra

        Looks like a fine organization, but what happened to the days when there was a big pile of community gear that kids who wanted to play could use?

        Obviously I was really involved with the hockey program in our town, but it is one of the best about taking care of kids who come from humbler places. That’s why I like UHL and programs like it.

        But yes, it’s very different from when you and I hit the field/gym/rink.

      • Pope Jimbo

        I have no love for the youth hockey organization in our suburb in Minnesoda.

        When football playoffs had started, there would all of a sudden be multiple kids missing because hockey practice was starting. They’d miss football games for hockey practice. The hockey coaches made it clear that anyone not prioritizing hockey would have a strike against them.

      • Tundra

        Not at my lowly level.

        But I understand.

      • Rat on a train

        My uniform in high school had multiple holes in it because it had been used for decades.
        The winter wool shirt the Army issued me in 1990 was made in 1950. It had a few stitched holes.

      • Evan from Evansville

        “I was stunned that I had to buy so much equipment.” <– It's why soccer is the sport of poorer nations. (And smaller.) Just needs *a* ball and some ground. Ride the $ Escalator up to hockey for 'normal' sports. Skiing and surfing etc are location dependent and expensive as fuck.

        His Holiness: IIRC you're not in the Twins, but perhaps not *terribly* far away. My friend is in Sauk Centre, working at the Nobb County Courthouse. The tinder to get her to visit/join Glibs is beginning to smoke. She's on our page. She had me help her write answers to her politically(+) stupid colleagues and acquaintances, and she admitted she finally *gets* why it's fun to write these ideas down. She's a good character to add to our play.

        I link to many of the MN stories you bring up to me/us to further tempt her or get a laugh. Much, much appreciated.

      • Pope Jimbo

        Evan:

        I’m actually just inside the Twin Cities beltway. NW corner of it in a suburb.

        I drive through Sauk Centre every time I go back to my old hometown. I hate to break this to you, but it is in Stearns County. There isn’t a Nobb County in Minnesoda. Nobles? But that would be a long commute for your buddy.

  33. The Late P Brooks

    Trump has also said on numerous occasions that he would ban transgender female athletes, who he refers to as “men” from participating in sports that match with their gender identity. “We will of course keep men out of women’s sports,” he said during a speech on Nov. 2 in Virginia.

    Oh, lordy. fetch me a cold compress and a fainting couch.

    • Mojeaux

      As a woman, I resent the FUCK out of men wanting to invade women’s spaces with the attitude that:

      1. They’re better at being women than women.

      2. They can intimidate the hell out of XX’s because they’re bigger and stronger, just in a dress and lipstick.

      3. That they’re doing something transgressive and women can’t say shit without being taken down BY OTHER XX’s, cancelled, called names, fired.

      4. That their sexual fetish MUST be accommodated by the women they’re targeting.

      5. That because of the above, they’re free to use their “girldick” to assault women who are smaller and weaker than they are.

      6. That they can get off on women’s fear.

      These XY’s are sick fucks and things will only change when women start packing en masse—and I don’t mean a fake penis.

      See how your girldick does squaring up with a 9 mm, asshole.

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        Yep.

        The trans movement is perhaps the most misogynist movement since Westphalia began.

      • SarumanTheGreat

        They are bullies. Bullies stop bullying when they experience pain. They should have pain inflicted on them often and hard until they learn to associate their behavior with severe pain and decide to avoid it.

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      How is it that, with ULTRA RIGHT-WING beliefs like banning men from woman’s sports, Trump could win?

      Proof the dumb hicks in middle America are just uneducated rubes.

    • Ed Wuncler

      I didn’t even care about the trans issue. My opinion at the time was that if you’re an adult who believe that they are better suited being the opposite sex, that’s fine. I even worked a trans colleague and didn’t mind referring to him as her. Live and let live sort of stuff. But when they insisted that they can force themselves into biological women’s spaces and participate in their sports despite the biological differences between men and women, it soured my attitude towards trans activists.

      • UnCivilServant

        didn’t mind referring to him as her

        I mind being asked to deny reality.

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        That’s exactly where I’m at UCS. Getting someone to deny reality as a matter of habit is the first step towards losing one’s self.

    • Tundra

      Perfect.

      • robodruid

        Well if they advertise as a “judgement free zone”, why call the police?

      • UnCivilServant

        So the police can remove them to a judgement zone.

      • Tundra

        Christ. I hope their security has been seriously upgraded.

        There are a bunch of dudes here who could serve on that board.

    • Evan from Evansville

      I can only get so giddy. I don’t care (right now) if they’re empty platitudes. Floating reaction balloons is not always the stupidest of ideas: See how The Enemy reacts and if they reveal their hand or make a mistake.. ..don’t talk them out of it.

      I am not the most optimistic person in how this term will go or end, but I’ll enjoy my couple o’ months watching Blue froth before.. anything even happens. I am enjoying how his prelim picks and ideas are.. ..kinda all going in a very-correct and necessary direction.

  34. hayeksplosives

    Time to dust off the resume. Tired of this woke AF company