Friday Morning Links

by | Dec 27, 2024 | Daily Links | 223 comments

I didn’t watch the “football game” last night. I just saw the score this morning. Wow. That’s all I can say. I did catch some of the bowl games yesterday. They were fun. Especially the 6-OT MACtion. Across the pond, Liverpool went behind early only to eventually throttle Leicester. Chelski lost late. Forest beat Spuds. And ManUre stunk up the joint against lowly Wolves. And City aren’t even worth mentioning anymore in the title race. Arsenal play today and can close the gap at the top. But this season is looking like it might be a runaway league. And that’s it for sports.

Mein Gott! It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. Part of me sympathizes with her, but part of me thinks this violates their rights to face their accuser (even though it’s a civil suit). I’ll be curious to see your thoughts in the comments.

But will it be enforced? I’ve seen too many ballot initiative results be ignored in California to have much confidence the people will see much change.

You mess with the bull. You get the horns.

And nothing will happen. Bet on it.

There’s no way this is constitutional. Of course it’s New York.

Let the glazing begin. I couldn’t think of another word to use.

Interesting that the reporter singled out one automaker. Especially since they’ve been dumping tons of EVs for the last several months from lots of manufacturers.

Crikey! I hope he makes it.

I’ll play my favorites are we wrap up the year. I’m sure some of you will know who it is before clicking. And those people won’t be disappointed. Enjoy them.

And enjoy this lovely Friday and weekend, dear friends.

About The Author

sloopyinca

sloopyinca

223 Comments

  1. SDF-7

    I’ve seen too many ballot initiative results be ignored in California to have much confidence the people will see much change.

    Videos like this have been making the rounds — so it looks like at least law enforcement is taking it to mean they can start arresting people again.

    But yeah — my confidence in the local DAs in the problem areas to actually follow up on the charges is in the “We’ll just have to see” range. I think most (all?) of the egregious Soros-backed DAs are out now, so maybe the ones in now are savvy enough to realize that folks want this and they need to follow through or face recall… but that hasn’t always stopped them.

    Anyway — happy Friday, Sloopy and the Reprobates!

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      It is going to take a very tall ladder to get CA out of the hole it dug itself over the last two decades, but I do think this is going to keester Newsome,s chances at being top dog, but Hochul is doing everything to take the heat for the evil/stupid party. So, he’s got that going for him, if he wants it.

      • R.J.

        The republicans in California are borderline retarded and unable to field a candidate. Otherwise I would say California is heading for massive political changes.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        I am not so sure. CA has fucked up its voting system so badly with the D’s in charge (ranked choice, jungle primaries) that they have made it unpossible to tell what is really happening in the state, politically.

        When half the ballots show up post election day, and that isn’t an issue due to the laws enacted by fiat, there is no telling what is true or false.

    • Suthenboy

      We are living in crazy land. Who thinks legalizing crime is a good idea? Oh, the same people who think women have peckers.

      • SDF-7

        The people who:

        1) Rely on the criminals to be shock troops when called upon.
        2) Want the general populace afraid and unable to function, justifying more and more drastic measures to fix the problem they caused.
        3) Want to selectively prosecute their enemies only.
        4) All of the above.

  2. rhywun

    Chelski lost late. Forest beat Spuds. And ManUre stunk up the joint against lowly Wolves. And City aren’t even worth mentioning anymore in the title race.

    4 happy results. I loved it.

    And showing them on real TV (except I got Newcastle over Villa – another happy result – rather than Chelsea) was a Boxing Day miracle.

  3. SDF-7

    You mess with the bull. You get the horns.

    No real details on the kids in the article (just speculation as to whether they were BB guns or full-on pistols… which is irrelevant if they were being used to attempt armed robbery and all)… but I doubt I’m alone in having my gut think “Gang related”. And being Houston, have to wonder “Cartels?” (Okay — to be fair thanks to PPP that could apply anywhere in the Lower 48 now…. but border states still make it jump to mind).

    • Suthenboy

      The non-article is full of no information which everyone knows but wont say. Also, the airplane the Ruskies shot down…the black boxes have been recovered but it will be two weeks before we know what they have to say. Bullshit. You have the black box, you plug it into a computer and you have the info. It takes two seconds. It takes two weeks to spin bullshit.

      • Sensei

        Pay no attention to all the holes shot through the surviving tail section.

      • Gustave Lytton

        “It was riddled with machine-gun holes, British machine-gun holes. But what the hell? A hole is a hole, as they say.”

  4. SDF-7

    Let the glazing begin. I couldn’t think of another word to use.

    I was worried that was going to be an article on the Middle East or something…. were you thinking “glazed hams” here, Sloopy?

    • Ted S.

      Steamed hams.

      It’s a Utica thing.

      • UnCivilServant

        Chicken Rigatoni and “Turkey Joints” (which contain no turkey).

        Unless you’re making some pop culture reference I don’t understand.

    • R C Dean

      Run, Kammy, run!

    • Cunctator

      —“Potential rivals on Democrats’ deep bench were already beginning to maneuver for 2028 during her short-lived second candidacy.”—

      “Deep Bench”? Sure Jan.

  5. SDF-7

    Crikey! I hope he makes it.

    If animal control catches up to him they’ll have to keep him locked up. Too much of a chance he’ll jump bail.

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      Here’s hopping!

    • bacon-magic

      Wallaby looking out for him.

  6. rhywun

    a dispute over how to revitalize Germany’s stagnant economy.

    How about doubling or tripling energy costs – again? Oh that’s right, every party is fully on-board with the klimate krisis except the one party that nobody will work with because they are insufficiently welcoming of “asylum seekers”.

    It is amazing watching a country swirl down the drain so quickly.

    • SDF-7

      But enough about California — weren’t you going to talk about Germany? 😉

      • rhywun

        Fair enough, it is the exact same symptoms across “the west” and the results will be exactly the same until people wake up and take their freedoms back.

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      Funny, but I am reading a novel set in Germany in 2008, and even 15-20 years ago they weren’t so, so fucking stupid about this.

    • Ted S.

      Nope. They’re in thrall to Bündnis Nazi Die Grünen.

      Amazingly, the polls all say it’s going to be the FDP that gets punished.

      • rhywun

        Well, the FDP hasn’t proved itself very useful lately, has it.

  7. SDF-7

    I’m sure some of you will know who it is before clicking.

    I strongly suspected — but you go off on Smiths kicks and the like (stuff I know is technically good but I’ve just never been into) so I did have to check. Love that first song… always a great listen.

  8. Not Adahn

    Texas is one of only 13 states in the country where it’s legal to own a kangaroo as an exotic pet. Last year, a kangaroo was reunited with his family after going missing for two days in North Texas.

    Do kangaroos bond with their owners? They’re herd animals so I’d expect some degree of sociability.

    What, exactly is the reason behind banning kangaroos?

    • Chipping Pioneer

      Why are there 37 states where it’s illegal to own a kangaroo?

      • UnCivilServant

        Because Kangaroo is assho.

      • SDF-7

        I’m assuming at least some of those are “to limit invasive species” law side effects.

      • Not Adahn

        And yet, NYers aren’t banned.

      • Nephilium

        Exotic pet laws are all over the place. I knew several of the people involved in this case. From my understanding, the whole thing became public when one of the volunteers got bit by the tiger (through the hand, ER trip was required, which got it into the system).

      • R C Dean

        I wonder what the CPT code is for “Bit by a tiger, right hand”?

      • Not Adahn

        I was thinking we needed Moj’s input here.

      • Suthenboy

        Re: Tiger case

        This is why we cant have nice things.
        Keeping dangerous animals as pets is not cute, it’s not funny, it is not amusing.
        Social animals that dont kill people is fine but there is always the retard that wants a rattle snake. Couple that with the retards that write and enforce laws and this is what you get – tigers eating children while SWAT teams murder Peanut the squirrel.

      • Nephilium

        Suthenboy:

        The tiger was in a cage. The person who got bit had been in charge of feeding it, and started to think of it as a pet and was playing with it. He learned his lesson, as did the person who didn’t know that when the piranhas have been fed, it’s safe to put your hand into the tank. If you don’t know when they were fed, it is not safe (he lost the tip of a finger).

        The staff knew what they were doing, some of the friends of the staff on the other hand…

        And just because I can go full actually, the same guy (at his old shop) did have a tamed pet squirrel in the shop. It would sit there and stare at the door when it was opened waiting for someone to close it. Nice little guy, he would come up and sit on your shoulder and eat out of your hand.

      • Mojeaux

        Dude, no, I gave that up almost before I aced the course and passed the test.

        1. Didn’t like it.

        2. I was having a hard time understanding it, tbh.

        3. It would cost a lot of money every year to keep up credentialing and buy new books. Every year.

        So it was an interesting way to pass a year and give me some mental stimulation, but I am SOOO not interested in coding.

    • Suthenboy

      I am guessing the danger of them getting loose, going feral and reproducing like rats.

      • Not Adahn

        They make the best whip leather though.

  9. UnCivilServant

    Crikey! I hope he makes it.

    Kangaroos are assholes, I hope he gets hit by a Californian refugree.

  10. juris imprudent

    If recent polls hold up, the likely next government would be led by Merz as chancellor in coalition with at least one other party.

    So much for getting a stable govt out of the election.

    Schroeder used the confidence vote to engineer an early election narrowly won by center-right challenger Angela Merkel.

    Merkel was center-right? BWAhahahahahahaha

    • UnCivilServant

      It’s Europe. They have no right wing, only leftists and communists.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Oh, Europe has a right wing, it is just the gov’ts do every single damn thing they can do to keep them out of power (see LePen, AfD, Farage, etc.), as they (much like the US left wing) have convinced themselves they are Fascists for just wanting to keep being Europe and not an open, bleeding Sor(os).

      • R.J.

        Correct. Look at what happened in Romania.
        Most Euroweenies and Canada have multiple flavors of leftist parties who all work together to keep the lone “right wing” party from gaining power.

      • UnCivilServant

        Zwak, those are center left groups.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        That is like talking to an American “Leftist” who says there is no Left in America. No, there are just no parties that you want to be considered Left/Right. But it is all relative.

      • UnCivilServant

        Ideologically, there’s plenty of leftists in America, but a dearth of rightists here and abroad.

        I’m sick of pretending filthy neutrals and center leftists are in the same category I am.

      • Suthenboy

        They are collectivist retards. Herd animals cannot conceive a world where people own themselves.
        See Aristotle: Slavery is the natural order of things.

    • sloopyinca

      I had to do a double-take when I read that. That woman was a full-on socialist. I guess they tagged her center-right because the middle in Germany nowadays is basically the former East German model.

      • Suthenboy

        Yep. Another case of people picking the bowl of runny dog shit over filet mignon.

    • rhywun

      All German governments are “coalitions” but on the bright side there’s little difference between the major parties so there’s that.

      There is some evidence that Merkel was a communist. Saw an article the other day tracing her rise to power. It would sure explain some things.

      • R.J.

        They are all commies. Europe is infested. You can tell by holding up a picture of a helicopter to a politician. Commies hiss and recoil at the sight, like vampires before a cross.

      • Suthenboy

        “There is some evidence that Merkel was a communist.”

        My first laugh of the day. Thank you.
        Yes, there was some evidence.

  11. rhywun

    And nothing will happen. Bet on it.

    I’m surprised they never found a way to blame the plague on Putin.

  12. Grumbletarian

    Kamala Harris is weighing whether to run for president again, and some Democrats seem open to the idea.

    But she’s hardly likely to clear the field next time. Potential rivals on Democrats’ deep bench were already beginning to maneuver for 2028 during her short-lived second candidacy.

    Their bench is as deep as a teacup.

    • Nephilium

      Really? I’m thinking a saucer may be the correct measure of their depth.

    • R C Dean

      Feral hogs are the debil. The Hate Pigs That Hate, if you will. Tough, smart, big, and meaner than a bag of snakes.

      • SDF-7

        Yeah — they bristle at every insult and boar everyone at parties. But you reap what you sow.

      • R.J.

        Bravo

      • Nephilium

        A new law passed in Ohio bans the importation of feral hogs, feeding of feral hogs, and banned hunting feral hogs. The last one seems out of place, but now there’s no hunting license needed, and if you shoot one, you just need to notify the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

        Hog farmers and rural people were praising the bill, so my guess is they prefer the notification rather than needing a license. I also believe the notification is to try to get an idea of how many and where the feral hogs are. To my knowledge, there’s none up in this area (just coyotes, deer, fox, otters, owls, hawks, deer. rabbits, groundhogs, deer, cats, deer, turkey, deer, and dogs).

      • UnCivilServant

        Why would you import a Feral hog?

      • R C Dean

        Feral hogs are just domestic pigs that aren’t in captivity. Since you can’t import a pig that isn’t in captivity, I’m not sure you can call a pig that can be imported a feral hog at all.

      • UnCivilServant

        Some Feral hogs are escapees.

        Some Feral hogs are crossbreeds with imported wild boars.

        You could have a recaptured hog of either variety. Though we can debate whether they count as feral while being imported or not until after the re-escape/release

      • Nephilium

        UCS/R C Dean:

        I believe the ban on importing feral hogs is to go after people who import hogs and let them go for some reason. Nope, I can’t come up with a better reason, although I now have a mental image of someone from Texas loading up a container of feral hogs and bringing them up here to let them go.

      • R C Dean

        There’s the “well, ackchually” I was waiting for.

        The vast, vast majority of feral hogs have not a molecule of wild boar DNA. They are just pigs who aren’t in captivity. But by all means, let’s focus on the very edge cases. That’s where good policy is made.

      • UnCivilServant

        Fun Fact – The traditional method of raising hogs was to let them loose in the spring to forage in the woods, then lure them back in the fall with troughs of food so that you don’t have to take care of them in between.

        Kept medieval Europe in pork for centuries.

      • Suthenboy

        Invasive species arrives and proliferates. Wildlife and fisheries declares the apocalypse has arrived. Law passed banning the killing of invasive species. What they really want is the regulation and licensing of hunting (get money).

        As predictable as the sunrise: Govt does the dumbest thing possible.

      • juris imprudent

        Govt does the dumbest thing possible.

        See also, kudzu.

  13. Sean

    I’m not sure how I feel about this.

    It’s bullshit.

  14. R C Dean

    “Part of me sympathizes with her, but part of me thinks this violates their rights to face their accuser (even though it’s a civil suit).”

    Anonymous accusations should be disregarded on principle. I could consider an exception for accusations by minors. But she ain’t a minor any more. Put your name on it, or piss off.

    • Nephilium

      I wouldn’t consider the exception, I would expect them to have to make the accusation to the courts at a minimum, but allow the record to be sealed. As I’m not a lawyer, I’m not sure if that’s an actual difference or not.

    • Rat on a train

      #MeToo doesn’t require minor details like who, what, when, where.

    • DrOtto

      In a suit tied to an accused crime, civil suits shouldn’t be allowed unless there was also a timely criminal investigation. This 20 years later shit, with or without a named accuser should not be allowed. Without a name, it should be treated as slander or libel, whichever fits.

  15. R C Dean

    “Investigators are determining whether the guns the boys used were BB guns or actual pistols.”

    How hard is it to figure that one out? Seems like within a few seconds of arriving on the scene that should have that little detail in hand.

    • EvilSheldon

      You would think, but remember that we’re talking about the police.

    • Suthenboy

      …and it is going to take two weeks to get the black box info on the plane that was shot down.

      Shorter cops and press: “We lie.”

      • dbleagle

        I would not be surprised if the neighbors helped themselves to a “found” pistol at the scene ny the time the popo arrived.

      • UnCivilServant

        Communications failure?

        Did you verify that the network link is up?

        What protocol are you using?

        Are you getting a key exchange error?

        Are both devices using the same baud rate?

      • SDF-7

        While IT support algorithms are in general useful — I’m not sure we want to turn the entire US off and then on again.

        Restarting FedGov_d might work, true…. but unfortunately I don’t think we’re in sudousers — and those who are aren’t responding to requests.

      • Nephilium

        SDF-7:

        You’re saying we need a BOFH to save us? That usually doesn’t end well for anyone (well, except the BOFH).

    • sloopyinca

      They’re citing all kinds of claims of the intwnt of the 14A while simply waving away the entire concept of due process.

      At least The Hill found a way to get people to finally go to their website. Which I suspect was the entire reason for printing that retarded shit.

      • Rat on a train

        But the evidence is overwhelming and a state judge declared Trump violated federal law.

    • Rat on a train

      At the trial in the Senate, seven Republicans joined all Democrats to provide a majority for conviction but failed to reach the two-thirds vote required for removal from office.

      When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two thirds of the members present.

      Somebody needs to go back to law school.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Hey, they went to the Colombia Journalism School of Law!

      • juris imprudent

        Maybe 4th grade math refresher?

    • EvilSheldon

      If y’all want a real, no-foolin’, guns-out insurrection, a great way to get it would be to use bullshit word games to prevent the inauguration of a duly elected president.

      • Drake

        Yep – They rigged a few Senate and House seats but let Trump win his landslide because they feared the reaction. This would be worse.

      • Suthenboy

        I think a lot of them do want a no-foolin’, guns-out insurrection. In their minds it would look like their fake Jan6 reichstag fire with the rabble easily routed in a few hours. Then those darned trouble making wrong-thinkers will get what they deserve! Finally they will get their dear leader totalitarianship.

        I see Canada has a bill allowing people to be imprisoned because anonymous accusers think someone might say something forbidden in the future. Holy shit. Another bill to ex-post facto imprison people who said legal hate speech at any time in the past and it is illegal to amend their gender bill.
        Coming soon to a country near you.

      • juris imprudent

        They rigged a few Senate and House seats

        Senator Casey would like a word or two with you.

    • rhywun

      Sounds like the January surprise I’m expecting.

      They are surely planning this or something similar.

      • juris imprudent

        Overturning elections isn’t wrong when WE do it.

      • R C Dean

        That clique of high school gossips couldn’t possibly put something like that together without blabbing about it. No, they are not going to try to block Trump from taking office by declaring him an insurrectionist. This is lefty wet-dream clickbait, being used, as well, by righties as clickbait.

      • ron73440

        I keep going back and forth on this.

        Part of me thinks they have to let it happen, but I don’t see how they can with all the “danger to our democracy” and “Hitler” talk.

        While I know most of them don’t believe their own bull shit, some of them do.

      • rhywun

        some of them do

        The antifa posters are probably being professionally printed as we speak.

  16. R C Dean

    “The matter has been decided in three separate forums, two of which were fully contested with the active participation of Trump’s counsel.”

    “Decided”

    The first was impeachment by the House, which is the equivalent of an indictment. The actual trial in the Senate resulted in the equivalent of “Not Guilty” as he was not removed.

    The second is the CO courts attempt to remove him from the ballot, which was overturned as being beyond their authority. SCOTUS didn’t address the underlying “factual” finding of insurrection because why would it, since the courts had no business ruling on whether there was an insurrection or not at all.

    And the last one, hilariously, is the Congressional hearings produced by Hollywood. Hearings like that don’t result in “decisions”, you know. At the absolute most, they can recommend to the House/Senate that it decide a certain way.

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      And, finally, it was given the ultimate trial, public opinion. Which firmly put him back in the saddle.

      And this is why I prefer the system that the US has, as opposed to a parliamentary system; it gives control firmly to the people, who own the fucking thing.

      • Grumbletarian

        That vote doesn’t count.

    • sloopyinca

      I wonder if these two authors, or at least the one that’s a US citizen, donated to a political party this election cycle. And if so, which party it was and how much they donated.

      • ron73440

        Well you know they are too honorable to donate to any party that would put up an insurrection supporting Russian asset.

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      Probably poured Scotch into it, as opposed to Irish, a good, Catholic drink.

    • EvilSheldon

      The charge was, ‘Abuse of Whiskey’?

    • sloopyinca

      Christ, what an asshole.

      • SDF-7

        Maybe… with him disrupting another service by “dropping an onion in the aisle” and threatening parishioners… I’m wondering if “Crazy” is more apt. If so, hopefully he’s getting help. If “Drunk Asshole” hopefully he’s better sober and is getting help.

    • Not Adahn

      Remember when obnoxious twats like PZ Meyers considered it brave to throw skunks into churches and defile Hosts?

    • juris imprudent

      Must’ve been moved by the spirit.

  17. juris imprudent

    A job for UCS with the Feds!

    The GSA spent $1.8 million on gloves of all varieties: disposable, leather, anti-vibration and more.

    • UnCivilServant

      The most I spent on Gloves was when I was in Omaha, I bought a $110 pair of soft leather winter driving gloves that are working quite well during this cold snap.

      Lets simplify the math and go with $100 bulk discount. That would buy 18,000 pairs. That’s not actually that much depending upon who we’re equipping.

      If we assume this includes disposables, a box of 100 runs me between $30 and $40 depending on availability. That’s retail, non-sterile (as in unfit for medical applications).

      Really, I don’t think they went too far over budget on that line item if that’s all they spent on gloves.

    • Rat on a train

      $4,727 on foot rests
      The productivity boost and reduced medical costs from those will more than offset.

    • Grumbletarian

      Maybe they’re doing the jobs Americans won’t do.

    • Sensei

      The h1b system is broken. I have no problem with shining a light on that. I also have no problem bringing in talent. I’ve worked with lots of really good and smart visa holders. They benefit both the companies they for and the communities where they live.

      • UnCivilServant

        I have a problem with bringing in “Talent” whose only talent is being cheaper than citizen labor.

      • Nephilium

        UCS:

        Don’t forget the “talent” of not being able to quit the job without needing to leave the country (or managing to find someone else to pick up the sponsorship).

      • Sensei

        IT and consulting are two big areas of the abuses.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        I think there is a lot of room between illegals and (however bad the system is) H1B workers. The second can be reformed, while, at the same time, Americans are taught better skill sets that can do this work. And as this is going on, get rid of illegals.

        There really isn’t a conflict needed, as long as you follow through with both aspects of it.

      • Pine_Tree

        H1B has been too corrupt for too long to be reformed. It has to be destroyed at the root, and something totally different created.

    • Pine_Tree

      Well good.

      Vivek stepped in it in classic libertarian fashion, in my opinion, focusing on a (true, real) technicality while failing to connect it to how the great mass of people feel in their guts about a deep complicated issue.

      He’s generally right, of course, on the “culture” thing. But that’s not what was going on. 99.9% of us who’ve had interactions with the H1B hiring processes see that the whole thing is one great big honking fraud machine. Yes, there is some “cherry pick the best from the world”, but that’s a tiny tiny fraction; it’s overwhelmingly “lie about unavailability of American options to import cheap labor”. And THEN couple that with the DEI hiring and education systems that bias toward foreigners over Americans. So yeah, after a generation of that, guess what the American technical labor pool looks like.

      If he’d think a bit, the H1B and DEI combo is exactly the destructive regulation he’s allegedly against.

      But failing so publicly on this one makes everybody (in the American technical world, at least) see him and Elon as the C-suite that’s been lying about it all along – pretending they don’t know it’s all about fraud, just to boost their bonuses at the expense of the country.

      • juris imprudent

        The great mass of people don’t give a shit about H1B visa holders. They do give a shit about the illegals who can’t work and are being fed & housed on our tax money.

      • Pine_Tree

        ji: I agree with your second sentence. On your first, I’d say “well they didn’t until the other day”.

        And I wasn’t really talking about the great mass of people. I was talking about the folks in the American engineering/technical world who actually have experience with the H1B process and results.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Not just DEI hiring. If you’re not subcontinental, don’t bother applying.

      • juris imprudent

        Yeah, PT I appreciate the clarification – not the masses, but those who’s oxen are being gored.

      • Pine_Tree

        I know you’re not being serious now. No, not that either.

        Try “those with actual experience in the system who understand what’s going on”.

      • juris imprudent

        I have experience, some years back, of dealing with software development off-shored to India. That was entertaining.

        Our H1B regime is a very mild treatment of the Middle Eastern imported-labor model.

        I also worked with a guy not on H1B but something similar for executive talent and his descriptions of INS hoops and behavior made my blood boil. Literally, these people would be strung up if they subjected citizens to that shit.

      • Jarflax

        We didn’t hang them during Covid; I am not sure we have it in us anymore.

      • juris imprudent

        Covid was managed by first making everyone afraid, see also TSA.

    • Not Adahn

      HIPAA!

    • Sensei

      It is believed she was homeless.

      • Nephilium

        So not only did Hochul make the subway safer, but she also reduced the unhoused population?

      • Not Adahn

        Well you know what they say: build someone a fire and they’ll be warm for a night. Set someone on fire and they’ll be warm for the rest of their life.

      • Gustave Lytton

        I’m going to burn for laughing.

  18. Not Adahn

    I read Wool, and I’ve very happy about it and looking forward to the next volumes.

    The reason I’m optimistic is that according to the author’s notes the original published “book” was the first 41 pages of this novel. Which I did notice how well written the opening from a plotting and mind-fuckery standpoint was. The fact that he could then respond to audience demand by taking an additional 520-somehting pages onto the end of that and have it be good tells me he’s got the craft of writing down.

    An interesting part is which bits of the story ring false to me. Yes, the self-sufficient manufacturing capability is bogus, but what I couldn’t actually believe is the idea that there could be a regular military inside the silo and yet the population be so naive wrt organized violence.

    • ron73440

      I thought it was pretty good, and the later books are also entertaining.

      The more it explains why and how the silos were created, the less sense it made.

      Still worth reading, but there are a couple of the ending short stories that I didn’t really care for.

      • Not Adahn

        The explanation of the why is currently too mustache-swirlingly evil for me to believe, but often in these kind of mysteries, things often get retconned.

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      I liked it, thought it was a good story even with the flaws you point out re manufacturing and violence. But, most fiction will have issues like this that you just have to, um, suspend disbelief over.

  19. DEG

    On the other end, you have Fetterman, who has joined the Trump social media site Truth Social, met with some Trump Cabinet nominees, and called for a Trump pardon — essentially positioning himself as the future Dem presidential candidate who could win over some MAGA voters.

    I think Fetterman will be a dark horse candidate for 2028.

    There’s an argument to make that Harris and Clinton were flawed candidates

    That’s an understatement.

    • juris imprudent

      Understatement yes, but almost surprising that they’d state it at all, since it skewers the dogma of the left.

    • Gustave Lytton

      President Fetterman showing up to black tie events in a hoodie…

      • juris imprudent

        If the biggest complaint about him is his dismissal of frippery, then we must not have any real reason to oppose him.

      • Nephilium

        With the tuxedo t-shirt underneath?

      • EvilSheldon

        You say, “…his dismissal of frippery,” I say, “His inability to dress and conduct himself like a grown adult.”

        That said, Fetterman is much, much smarter than he looks. Don’t underestimate him.

      • juris imprudent

        My point is fuck the neo-aristocratic pretensions and Virginia Postrel’s bullshit.

      • Gustave Lytton

        It’s also a power play.

      • Mojeaux

        Very much a power play. Like being late is also a power play.

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      How could they have flaws?

      Both are vagina’d people, and one of them has a good melanin count.

      Oh, I know….

      They weren’t trans!

  20. juris imprudent

    Remember the days when we skewered Liz Breunig? Pepperidge Farms remembers.

    So the writer with the career argument about mutuality and democratic deliberation gratefully concludes that Joe Biden is our sovereign; we are his people, ruled by him, benefitting from his personal mercy. I read Bruenig’s sentence to my teenage daughter, as an in-home test, and she immediately caught the sovereignty problem. Which rules out a career in journalism.

    • Gustave Lytton

      I had to jog the memory to remember her. Her idiocy doesn’t seem to have derailed her career at all.

      • juris imprudent

        That might depend on if you consider The Atlantic to be a terminal destination.

      • Jarflax

        The Atlantic makes a fine terminal destination for helicopter rides for journalists commies.

      • Not Adahn

        It was for Amelia Earhart.

      • Jarflax

        wrong ocean

      • Suthenboy

        “Her idiocy doesn’t seem to have derailed her career at all.”

        There is a lot of that going around.

    • DEG

      Wasn’t she the one that someone at H&R lusted after?

      • Not Adahn

        Gilmore, IIRC.

    • Suthenboy

      Bruenig is a child. She is not old enough to have wisdom. She is certainly not qualified to lecture anyone about wisdom and it shows.
      This is another commie ‘dont believe your lying eyes’ argument. Joe Biden…well, all of the pols save the few I can count on the fingers of one hand, are straight up clinical sociopaths neither wise nor moral.

  21. The Late P Brooks

    Enemy of the Status Quo

    The scope of the potential problem we are facing is immense. Musk’s companies have been the subject of more than a dozen federal investigations or reviews with various agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, the National Labor Relations Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, among others.

    Most recently, Musk reportedly failed to secure from the Air Force “high-level security access” due to “potential security risks,” and he and SpaceX reportedly “triggered” at least three federal reviews for noncompliance with federal reporting protocols in place to ensure the protection of state secrets. Accordingly, we’ve sent our requests for records to all of these agencies — and the agencies with which he or his companies appear to have (or have had) contracts, including NASA, the U.S. Space Force, the Department of Defense, the Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    The possible conflicts of interest are too many to enumerate. The “de facto monopoly” that Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX has on rocket launches should raise flags at the Federal Trade Commission — an agency that is already in Musk’s crosshairs. Even minor changes in an agency’s enforcement priorities or procurement policies could cost — or make — Musk tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. And given the sheer array of Musk-owned companies, decisions affecting competitors are almost inevitable. Earlier this month, Ramaswamy said that DOGE is already looking at a Department of Energy loan to one of Tesla’s rivals, Rivian Automotive.

    Musk will usurp the government to his own benefit and loot the treasury. That’s our job.

    • juris imprudent

      The mere appearance of conflict in government can quickly undermine the public’s confidence in its government.

      [snort]

      • R C Dean

        Now do the pharma royalties being paid to CDC and FDA staff.

    • R C Dean

      “Musk’s companies have been the subject of more than a dozen federal investigations or reviews with various agencies”

      All mysteriously starting after he bought Twitter and took it out of the Censorship-Industrial Complex.

      Including the one about whether one of his rocket boosters might land on a shark in the Gulf of Mexico, I believe.

      • UnCivilServant

        I thought it was a whale.

        We must launch a committee to study whether it’s more probable that the rockets will hit sharks or whales!

  22. The Late P Brooks

    The mere appearance of conflict in government can quickly undermine the public’s confidence in its government. Absent strong ethics controls and adequate oversight mechanisms, Musk’s participation in regulatory and other executive policy decisions could lead Americans to question whether his recommendations are truly in their interest — or in his financial interest.

    I’m sure these people will be doing their utmost to make that a reality. There was no such thing as conflicts of interest before President Cartoon Villain and his henchmen came to town.

    • juris imprudent

      Or conflicts of interest when NGOs sue the govt and collect on that.

      • Ted S.

        Or State-funded “science” that calls for more state.

    • ron73440

      They forgot to mention Social Distancing!

  23. Mojeaux

    The H1B visa kerfuffle has opened a lot of normies’ eyes, including mine.

    It’s currently going around Twitter that Elon may have changed the algo to suppress dissent, but nobody really wants to believe that.

    The tech-right is laying out its case clearly, concisely, fairly (I think), considerately, and with much rage. The blue collars are like, “Whoa. Glad we didn’t learn to code.” The hiring middle-men and resume filters are also coming under fire.

  24. The Late P Brooks

    If a chemical lasts forever, that means it’s inert, right?

    • juris imprudent

      Schrödinger has a solution for that.

  25. The Late P Brooks

    conflicts of interest when NGOs sue the govt and collect on that.

    While being coached and assisted by the agencies they are “battling against” in the courts.

    • Gustave Lytton

      And then agree to a court mandated “settlement”.

      • R C Dean

        Ordering the agency to do something that it otherwise doesn’t have the power to do.

  26. Mojeaux

    An update: We are stuck in Evanston, Wyoming.

    Not going to the funeral because it’s 90 miles of downhill wind-y and windy canyon roads on ice and snow with more coming in later.

    Can’t go home yet because the roads are a mess. I mean, we COULD, but we’re being cautious.

    Still dithering about seeing my elderly aunt in Salt Lake in a couple of days.

    AND accidentally lost about $200 in cash to a 55-mph wind yesterday.

    All in all, a good time is not being had.

    • ron73440

      That sounds brutal.

      Hope you can get home safe.

      • Mojeaux

        You know what’s most awful?

        If I were 20 years younger and alone, I woulda done it.

        I used to be a bit of a badass and now I’m an old fraidy-cat.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Ditto. Take care of yourself. Possessions can be replaced, no sense in make it a double or triple funeral.

      • ron73440

        I used to be a bit of a badass and now I’m an old fraidy-cat.

        As I’ve learned more and seen real consequences from risky behavior, I have become a fraidy-cat also.

    • Jarflax

      You’re within a day’s drive of half of my favorite spots in the world! Truly beautiful places in every direction! Evanston is unfortunately not one of them

      • Mojeaux

        Fun fact: My husband was living here when we met online and last night he says I rescued him from here. He is not enjoying being back. He’s from SoCal, so he says having lived here prepared him to say, “Oh, Missouri’s not so bad.”

        In any case, I have no love lost for it out here either. I love Yellowstone, though.

      • juris imprudent

        The best thing you can say for Evanston is it isn’t Rock Springs.

    • DEG

      Sorry Mojeaux. Staying put in those conditions is the best move.

    • KSuellington

      Damn, drive safe whichever way you go. Those Wyoming winds are famous.

  27. Mojeaux

    I have a tiny dog in this tech-right-bro fight (as it pertains to offshoring medical transcription, but voice rec will be the ultimate Godzilla), but the whole conversation is fascinating to me.

  28. The Late P Brooks

    Pothole

    A sinkhole that opened up Thursday along Interstate 80 in northern New Jersey forced authorities to close the heavily traveled highway’s eastbound lanes.

    The sinkhole was discovered Thursday morning near Wharton, which is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of New York City.

    Get FEMA on it.

    • Jarflax

      The drones were signaling the rise of the molemen!

    • Dr Mossy Lawn

      That is on my morning commute, had to bypass it yesterday. There are alternate ways around.

      • Sensei

        None great, however. I’m imaging 46 is going to be even more crowded.

    • Not Adahn

      Chicks dig bad boys, example N+1

    • Not Adahn

      De Sousa Abreu wore a cream, off-the-shoulder dress at Neverland London in Fulham

      Daily Mail confirmed.

    • ron73440

      Why are there female guards in male prisons?

      • UnCivilServant

        Because the correction officer profession is too male-dominated.

        /DEI

  29. KSuellington

    So in a bit of good news freedom wise, I just learned one of my friends got a CCW as a resident of SF. Previously this was straight up impossible if you were not Diane Feinstein or the like. He said the process wasn’t even that bad, even though they do throw up a couple roadblocks. He says it cost him about $350 total and took a few months, but renewals every two years are easy and way cheaper. And most other counties in California are nowhere near as restrictive as SF, you basically just need a background check in most. At my local range a few weeks back they loosened the rules off rapid fire and when I asked why they said “due to the large amount of people practicing with CCWs.” So while those of you in gun friendly states may scoff, that is a huge improvement here. I’ll take that any day.

    • EvilSheldon

      This *is* good to hear. Ranges with stupid fudd rules about ‘rapid fire’ drive me up the wall, and this is the first time I can remember a public range actually loosening said rules due to customer complaints.

      • KSuellington

        Yup. When he said we had a rules change here since your last time I kinda groaned and he laughed and said, “no, this one you will like.” I was at a Christmas taco truck lunch party last week and I told the manager of one of the construction companies I work with about this and he was stoked. He was wondering if the process was gonna be onerous and now is going to apply. I will be likely applying myself in a few months, right now I’m more focused on my new hobby of off road motorcycling as I am trying to get the skills developed to do the Great Divide trail from Calgary to Durango, Mexico in a few years.

    • UnCivilServant

      That reminds me, I have to buckle down and finish my paperwork.

      I want to find a second set of eyes to look for mistakes before I drag it to the notary.

    • juris imprudent

      Small glass of iced tea goes a long way in hell.

      • KSuellington

        I’ll take baby steps to freedom over going the other direction any day.

      • Nephilium

        In hell all the iced tea is sweetened.

      • UnCivilServant

        Wait, you’re telling me that Hell is a place in Georgia?

      • Evan from Evansville

        Sweet tea is evil. The Mason-Dixon line is where “iced tea, please” actually means “sweet tea.” It’s disgusting and I literally have to spit it out when accidentally served it. (Hasn’t happened in a long while.)

        What the fuck is the point? Just get a damn Coke. Iced tea is a tasty, non-caloric beverage. Add lemon! It doesn’t go flat and ya can always add more ice. Sweet tea takes a perfect beverage and ruins it. ‘Don’t add. Subtract.’ <– Great motto for govt. Works for tea as well. (If you're gonna *add,* might as well pop some booze in it. That i'd at least understand and respect. Don't serve *me* that Twisted Tea bullshit, either.

      • UnCivilServant

        I’m very sad to hear that.

        Unsweetened Tea, either hot or cold, is undrinkable.

        Yes, it is possible to overdo the sweet, but it’s possible to overdo anything.

  30. Evan from Evansville

    I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the NYC subway-burning murder was a Chinese (or similar) operation to further rile up Americans. Disrupt transportation and social mores in NYC, open and visible to all. The bystanders’ (lack of) reaction shows how broken humans and ‘society’ is over there and (possibly?) throughout the nation. Put it on display and watch the disruption, show the ‘masses’ how everything’s amiss. ??? Profit.

    The lack of victim ID and the strangeness of it all furthers my ‘theory.’ I heard the victim was engulfed in flames within seconds. Either wearing something exceptionally flammable or an accelerant was used. (“Why not both!” <– My guess.) A sacrificial l̵a̵m̵b̵ human was placed and the agent carried out orders. Panic did NOT ensue, which is oddly a bigger victory in my 'theory.' Shows how numb and defeated Americans are. NYC is trying to figure shit out, and cover their asses, and the result is the little we know now. The lack of open disclosure feeds my position. The ass-covering must be intense. Add Luigi and NYC looks like shit. Even if the burning wasn't China, they're surely using both incidents to fuel their own purposes. (Who wouldn't?)

    Strange times for New York. Only time I was there was in 2003. The Twin Towers were still massive holes. I didn't see the Towers hit, but I did watch them collapse in class as a freshman in high school. Hilariously, I was slurping chicken noodle soup in our muted classroom. No one noticed. (Odd day. (Duh.) I was 14 for 9/11 and so was Dad when JFK was assassinated. Useless family trivia, but fun for me.

    • R C Dean

      “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the NYC subway-burning murder was a Chinese (or similar) operation”

      I would. Random, drunken, homeless, illegal Guatemalans are practically never used in covert ops.

  31. Common Tater

    “According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT, Bandera County sheriff’s deputies conducted a welfare check at a home in Bexar County. They discovered Calavera dead in the closet with a gunshot wound to the face. Goynes reportedly fled the scene in Calavera’s 2024 GMC pickup truck and parked it near Port O’Conner in nearby Calhoun County. She then allegedly set the vehicle on fire, got into a kayak, and paddled away.”

    https://thepostmillennial.com/texas-woman-admits-to-shooting-killing-husband-torching-his-truck-trying-to-escape-in-kayak-police

    Points for creativity?

    • ron73440

      Mercy killing?

      She didn’t want the man to suffer from losing his truck in a fire?