258 Comments

  1. AlexinCT

    SCOTUS Allows Border Patrol to Remove Razor Wire Installed by Texas in 5-4 Ruling

    Expected this ruling, because the law is clear that the Feds control this, but the SCOTUS will/should review what the Obama 3.0 admin is doing to us by violating their obligations to the citizens on immigration control, and deem that part of it unconstitutional (especially the financial handouts to encourage more of the invasion).

    • R C Dean

      Constitutional trivia:

      The feds have explicit authority over naturalization/citizenship. The Constitution is silent on immigration. You have to go to the “Necessary and Proper” clause to get there (which, together with the Commerce Clause, nearly the entire federal government hangs off of).

      • AlexinCT

        Nuke D.C. from orbit. It is the only way to be sure to kill the parasitic class.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Yeah, the actual case is still winding its way through the system and this is just an overriding of an injunction and a return to the previous status quo. It’s not my preference but people are losing their minds all out of proportion to the reality of the situation.

      • UnCivilServant

        That’s because the Status Quo is shit, and should not be tolerated to wait on the judges.

      • R.J.

        Sure thing Klaus. Just what a Globalist would say.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      “Republicans recover over 100 files deleted by Jan. 6 committee”
      Let me guess, they forgot to empty the Trash folder? Not that that’d work but it wouldn’t surprise me if they were that stupid.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Well damn, not meant to be a reply

      • R C Dean

        Do they have the password to decrypt the files? I don’t suppose the NSA could be arsed to crack them if they don’t.

      • DrOtto

        Yes, the password is ‘Password’

      • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

        PodestaPelosi

      • ron73440

        Yes, the password is ‘Password’

        Come on, they’re smarter than that.

        It’s either Pa$$word, or 1qaz2wsx!QAZ@WSX

  2. AlexinCT

    House Republican tells Texas to ignore Supreme Court ruling, as Biden is ‘staging a civil war’

    States being invaded will have to do this to stop the crooks destroying the country. In the interim, keep shipping these people to majority blue state sanctuary cities and let that play out for team blue.

  3. SDF-7

    House Republican tells Texas to ignore Supreme Court ruling, as Biden is ‘staging a civil war’

    Ignoring it and then citing the Student Loan Debt Relief programs as “precedent” would be worth the popcorn.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Or just keep passing legislation like states do with gun laws.

  4. AlexinCT

    Judge unseals Georgia prosecutor’s divorce case as State Senate plans investigation into Fani Willis

    The media would have demanded a resignation and been hammering this 24/7 if this person was a republican. Because she is one of their comrade criminals, they are throwing shade at this whole criminal debacle and desperately trying to keep the whole illegitimate Trump persecution affair from getting derailed. Our country is run by a political party that is a crime syndicate and in a partnership with the numerous three letter bureaucratic agencies whom are themselves in hock to the Mexican cartels and the CCP (and probably a junior partner).

    • R C Dean

      It’s odd that I have yet to see anyone mention what seems like obvious kickback/bribery problems with that whole I-pay-you-lots-of-money-and-I-get-a-little-something-back thing.

      • Not Adahn

        Sill RC, Kickbacks are “redirections of funds towards a personal benefit + power” therefore only wypipo can be guilty of receiving kickbacks.

      • trshmnstr

        *sigh*

        How long until that argument is actually made in full earnestness?

      • Not Adahn

        Pretty sure The Smithsonian already did.

  5. SDF-7

    Republicans recover over 100 files deleted by Jan. 6 committee days before GOP took majority: Report

    They tried to delete them — but from what I read they are encrypted, and of course the password isn’t available from the J6 committee assholes (who tried to delete them). Add “Federal Recrods Act” actions to the precedents for Texas?

    I mean — if we’re going to have two versions of enforcing the law at the Federal level, Texas should get to play within its boudaries, right Donkeys? (“Wrong! The ratchet only goes one way, chump!”)

    • AlexinCT

      I guess they wiped the computer with a cloth or something when they deleted them?

      • Tonio

        [golf clap]

    • Nephilium

      Do you really expect some government drone to actually know how to do data destruction?

      • Brawndo

        “It’s *in* the computer”

        -Zoolander

      • The Last American Hero

        The drones at Lois Lerner’s IRS did. Same with the drones that destroyed all the cell phones and blackberries to cover for Clinton.

      • AlexinCT

        Fucking up while working for the Clintons have real terminal consequences, yo, so you do it right or else…

  6. AlexinCT

    GOP’s Slim House Majority Gets Even Narrower

    If we find out a few years from now all these republicans that chose to “retire” and not run again were blackmailed by the intel apparatus in order to cripple republican hold on congress before the 2024 elections stealing efforts the criminal unelected and unaccountable intel bureaucracy have planned, will anyone be surprised? And will there ever be repercussions for these crooks?

    • SDF-7

      (Magic 8 Ball)

      “All signs point to ‘No'”

      (/Magic 8 Ball)

    • juris imprudent

      Aren’t they all just RINOs anyway?

      • AlexinCT

        I know that way too many republicans, especially those old cadre ones, are really aligned with the same insanity that gives democrats boners, but not a single democrat is aligned with any of the values that republican supposedly clam to stand for. It’s why I am praying the MAGA movement wrecks the existing republican party and forces it to change,

      • juris imprudent

        You be sure and let me know when a Republican actually makes an effort to reduce the size of govt, including DoD.

      • AlexinCT

        One repubican can’t do it. In fact if any tried, I would be concerned they were just gaslighting me. But a republican party where all the old cadre are sent packing and replaced with non-democrat lights, might just pull off some of it.

        And frankly, I am saddened to say I have come to believe, to shrink government today, we would need to start by nuking D.C.

      • trshmnstr

        But a republican party where all the old cadre are sent packing and replaced with non-democrat lights, might just pull off some of it.

        That dream died in the late 19th century. Republicans were the OG progressives, and they haven’t looked back.

      • juris imprudent

        Drafting Eisenhower to avoid Taft (in ’52) was the death of the party IMO. Although, you could make a good case with Wilkie being the nominee in ’40.

  7. Ownbestenemy

    I think if people flock to the Appalachians in search of rural nirvana, they might be in for a rude awakening.

    “The whole point of it is to plant a flag and say this small town is where our people are gathering. And the question is: who is going to grab the land? Is it going to be good, based people who want to build something inspiring that’s culturally authentic to the region’s history? Or is it going to be Bill Gates and BlackRock and hippies from California?”

    It will be hipsters and people with money; but I guess we can pretend it will be different this time.

    • R.J.

      Even if it is a haven, the haven will degrade over time. Nothing lasts forever, and commie shitbirds ruin everything.

      • Ownbestenemy

        They want to ‘organically’ create a community by master planning the community. Makes no sense. Almost like NH Free State project. On paper and theory sounds great but it is anything but an organic growth of likeminded people with a common culture and community goals.

      • AlexinCT

        People that believe in top down planning always do because they want something they know will organically never happen. The urge to plan from the top is to force acceptance of things normies would never do on their own.

      • trshmnstr

        but it is anything but an organic growth of likeminded people with a common culture and community goals

        This might be a shocker to some, but just because I share a similar view of government’s role with somebody doesn’t mean I want to be their neighbor.

      • bacon-magic

        *kicks trash can

      • juris imprudent

        They want to ‘organically’ create a community by master planning the community.

        Already been done, it’s called The Villages.

      • Fatty Bolger

        The world’s biggest open air retirement home.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      Joshua Abbotoy, Managing Director of the New Founding organization, said the community’s leadership would be predominantly Protestant Christians.

      Hipster Christians?

  8. AlexinCT

    In-N-Out to Shutter Oakland Location Due to Crime – the Company’s First-Ever Store Closing

    Gimme all your cash and a dozen burgers with the works to go?

    • Ownbestenemy

      Gimme all your cash and a dozen burgers double-doubles with grilled onions with the works animal style to go?

      FIFY

    • Nephilium

      I’m more impressed that it’s the first store closing (if that’s true). Hell, I can point out the shells of fast food restaurant chains all around me.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Benefits of still being a private company and not franchising out. Growth is slower and more calculated.

      • AlexinCT

        Product quality can also be better controlled?

      • Gustave Lytton

        It’s a low bar for INO.

      • rhywun

        This is an interesting point.

        Yeah, I would visit the Wall Street area and the chains play musical chairs down there.

      • R.J.

        Hmmm….. I checked a couple of sources. The first In N Out burger was in Baldwin Park, which is in Los Angeles, not Oakland. A replica of it now sits near corporate headquarters. The location that is closing may be the only location in Oakland. That makes sense. Oakland has been a shit hole for 40 years or more. I can’t imagine how bad it is now.

        https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/42365

      • Ownbestenemy

        Yes it is also the site of their “University”. I have been to that In N Out many, many times. I think Neph was referring to the first time one of their restaurants to close, not their first restaurant.

      • R.J.

        My bad.

      • Nephilium

        Yep. The first closure is what I was referring to. Hell, we had local fast food chains start up, spread out, and then collapse within a couple of years. Not just once, but multiple times.

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      Too many people went animal style for animal style.

  9. AlexinCT

    The Republican Party continues to pretend to have a primary

    The republican party or the old guard beholden and controlled by the “Business as usual” cabal of three letter unelected and unaccountable agencies and the money fat cast from Wall Street that are bought & paid for by all the enemies of America and the American people?

    • Not Adahn

      Smart marketing:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3uFRpr6WX8

      Create a non-product that will charm a jaded reviewer with its whimsy and get him to look at your company favorably (nonproduct is a .32 ACP mouse gun with a compensator and a red dot)

      • Cowboy

        The bobcats have been around and are fairly popular though, especially for pocket carry or for women. The 32acp is a really gentle round, and they’re easy to rack and shoot.

        I’d pick up the threaded version, but they’re out of their mind with the 600 dollar starting MSRP. I could see 400, which is what the current model goes for on sale.

      • Not Adahn

        Beretta seems to be revamping all of their lineup. The new Cheetah was last year, the new Tomcats this year, I imagine the Bobcats next.

        But yes, they are definitely pricing them upscale — the 80X was MSRPing at $800.

        I was running the shooting at the Beretta demo booth @ last years Carry Optics Nationals. The handgun salesguys were staggeringly incompetent. As in loading 92X mags with .380 incompetent. The shotgun salesguys actually knew wtf they were doing.

  10. Pope Jimbo

    Finally! Someone is using AI for good. Behold the Dean.Bot

    A new super PAC backed by Silicon Valley insiders is mobilizing to spread Phillips’s ideas in an unusual way. This week, they launched Dean.Bot after weighing the implications of using a sophisticated AI tool that can chat like a real person — one of the first known uses of artificial intelligence in a political campaign. The techies behind the bot are getting help from activist hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who has described the fight as protecting Democrats from nominating a candidate who can’t win. The PAC has already raised $4 million to target New Hampshire voters with short confessional-style videos — targeted social media ads featuring Phillips and supporters making his case.

    Biden’s goose is cooked now.

    • trshmnstr

      Dean bot? Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!

      • Ownbestenemy

        Classic callback.

  11. Not Adahn

    NPR this morning: “NIKKI HALEY WON (one precinct in) NEW HAMPSHIRE!” Trump is OVER!

    • Nephilium

      I saw that in my newsfeed with the headline that Nikki had received 100% of the vote! (of six people, at midnight, in one precinct)…

    • AlexinCT

      We should stop government funding for that waste of bandwith.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Yet another promise Trump failed to deliver on and it would have been so simple to do so.

    • Brawndo

      Let me guess. She won a precinct with either a MIC location or the capital?

    • AlexinCT

      Whose balls were supposed to end up in that bag?

      • Not Adahn

        Some dude named Ben Wa?

      • AlexinCT

        You forgot to tell us you will be here all week and to try the veal, boss.

      • Not Adahn

        *rimshot*

  12. AlexinCT

    The Claudine Gay story, on the other hand, is about how elites at one of America’s most respected institutions forfeited honor, integrity, and truth to virtue-signal their holy liberalism.

    It is not surprising that we come to see that the people that constantly tell the others they look down upon and consider no better than serfs to stay in their place, because the credentialed elite are the ones with the expertise and values to lead, are the fucking most corrupt and inept tools you could imagine.

    • trshmnstr

      Walking stereotypes, all of them. Ask me to pick 4 pictures of idiot frat bros who will do stupid things that will get them arrested, and I’d pick those four.

      • Not Adahn

        Stereotypes exist for a reason.

    • creech

      How about them Cowboys!

    • B.P.

      “The cow, cops wrote, died of disease 36 hours before it was branded, and had not been specifically killed to leave on the FarmHouse lawn.”

      • UnCivilServant

        Oh, good.

        It’s one thing to inappropriately dispose of a rotting carcass, it’s another to kill a cow for a prank and waste the beef.

    • Shpip

      I (checks statute of limitations) was involved in a similar incident way back in my undergrad days. My girlfriend’s sorority “big sister” didn’t approve of her dating me, so said big sister conjured up a story for the sorority’s kangaroo court judicial board and got my girl banned from attending their fall formal dance. We both knew it was horseshit, and I’d already spent money renting a tux, so I was doubly pissed.

      Well, it just so happened that the guy who lived across the hall from me in the [redacted] Chi house was an ag major, whose family owned thoroughbreds (and thus a horse trailer) down near Ocala. On Formal Night, my mate and I grabbed the trailer, hooked it up to his pickup, and went to one of the university’s farms not far from campus. He had a key to the padlocked gate that kept the cattle in their pasture, and not ten minutes later we had “borrowed” one healthy dairy cow. Destination: sorority house.

      Upon arrival at the house, my girlfriend let us in, then watched in amazement as we led the bewildered bovine through their parlor and up the stairs to the girls’ living quarters. Now it’s a well-known fact among farm types that a cow will, with some cajoling, walk up stairs, but they absolutely won’t walk down them. So when the gals got home the morning after their dance, they had to deal with a confused, spooked cow and all the excrement that it had unloaded on the upstairs carpeting in the hours since we left the house. Yes, Dear Reader — we got away with it.

      Looking back, it probably couldn’t be done now. Coded access cards and CCTV cameras, along with cell phone tracking data, would put the finger on me and my buddy immediately. Shockingly (in retrospect), our little act of revenge didn’t even make the campus paper, let alone the Daily Mail or the wire services.

      Oh, and the girlfriend and I are still friends, nearly forty years later.

    • Not Adahn

      Hmmm. Does the institution who put the beam in place share in the liability? Surely it is foreseeable that an idiot would drive into it.

      • PieInTheSky

        Does the institution who put the beam in place share in the liability? – if by liability you mean they may get sued and fork over some taxpayer cash without any bureaucrat being held responsible in any way, maybe

      • Sensei

        In the US that would be the case, but the state may have some immunity.

        Your bonus is that bridges are considered “Inland Marine” for insurance coverage.

      • R C Dean

        It was put there because they knew some idiot would drive into it (rather than the bridge). If it’s not hazardous to non-idiots, I don’t think there’s a problem.

        If there is, though, I can see a lucrative law practice suing the city every time somebody gets rear-ended at a stoplight.

      • ron73440

        It looks like the lady that was killed was a non-idiot.

        An idiot drove into the beam and the beam killed a lady in a car.

        Shouldn’t the idiot be liable?

        As much as I hate the State having immunity, I don’t think the State is liable.

        Maybe they should have made the beam more durable, but it’s hard to make something that can get hit at speed by a truck and not fall.

      • PieInTheSky

        I think overall it is unlikely for the government to be liable, but you never know with courts. The insurance of the truck will pay.

      • Lackadaisical

        Actually, the best solution would have been a not flexible structure that wouldn’t fail catastrophically. Seems like the beam was too strong for the connections it was attached with.

        Bad engineering, imo (assuming no lack of maintenance contributed). This is a kind of foreseeable failure mode for the structure.

      • Lackadaisical

        “not flexible structure ”

        More flexible I meant. If everything had bent instead of breaking apart it would have been safer.

      • Fatty Bolger

        Seems like the beam itself was a good idea, otherwise this idiot might have driven into the bridge and caused a much bigger disaster.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Local news, so wasn’t the 11’4″ bridge.

  13. UnCivilServant

    Is everybody ready for another Change Management Meeting?

    • AlexinCT

      The HR people need their time to shine too?

      • UnCivilServant

        HR has nothing to do with Change Management. It is all technical people, which is why the guy who runs it tries to fly through the changes as fast as possible.

      • AlexinCT

        So a geek fest?

    • Not Adahn

      Those are so misnamed — management has never been changed at one of those.

      • Nephilium

        Hope springs eternal.

    • PieInTheSky

      what meeting room is it in? I can still make it I believe

      • UnCivilServant

        It’s a teleconference, fitting 124 people in a meeting room is a bit troublesome.

      • PieInTheSky

        a meeting with 124 people is pointless.

      • trshmnstr

        Agreed, that’s what replying all on an email is for.

      • UnCivilServant

        Most people in the meeting don’t get to speak, and nobody speaks on a change that doesn’t impact them.

        We want to get this over with, so we stay out of our own way.

    • Tonio

      You mean for the Glibs website update next Tuesday? LOL

      • UnCivilServant

        I figured that meeting was closed to regular glibs.

        Should I be making backups of my pending articles?

      • R.J.

        I think it wise. I am going to prep my next one on LibreOffice too, and copy it in when the change is done.

      • UnCivilServant

        I don’t compose in WordPress, but I do make edits after the fact that don’t appear in my libreoffice drafts.

      • R C Dean

        I always write mine in Word and just copy the whole thing and drop it into the site. I’ve had zero (0) problems. What little formatting I do comes through just fine.

        Which also means I have backups of all my posts. There’s usually a little tweaking after I drop it into the site, but not much, so the backups are good enough.

    • The Other Kevin

      I’ve heard it theorized that this issue is going to destroy the Democrat party. Probably not, if they go through with their plans. Today Kamala, the Border Czar, suggested the solution is faster processing and amnesty.

      • juris imprudent

        I’d like to think that sets her up for the fall, but I just don’t think the Dem power-brokers are that smart.

    • PieInTheSky

      meh in Europe immigration is a big worry for some time the politicians don;t care.

    • AlexinCT

      Obama 3.0 admin response: open restaurants and cook them!

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        I’ll have filet of dog with a side order of bugs.

  14. AlexinCT

    So according to this, if I ask some lady in Oklahoma what she is wearing on her feet and to send me pics, I am in trouble unless she is my spouse?

    • trshmnstr

      Reason;dr

    • Not Adahn

      OK has always had strict anti-porn laws. Penthouse would have pages removed before it arrived. Its legislature is vastly more busybody than its people for some reason I do not understand. Undoubtedly having a year-round leg plays into it.

      • juris imprudent

        Another political monoculture – funny how those always seem to play out the same.

      • Nephilium

        Ohio has decided they want to step on their dick as well.

      • trshmnstr

        How do they expect to enforce such a thing when you can get browsers with vpn clients built in these days?

      • juris imprudent

        INTENTIONS goddammit – it is about intentions!!!

      • Tonio

        It’s do-somethingism at its finest. They can truthfully tell their constituents they did something, but those dastardly tech bros found a way around it.

        But being the paranoid (Glibs) type, I can also see things like this as a setup to try to criminalize VPN use.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Also would be fun to see how enforced – of course, it would mean the state sticking its grubby fingers in the ISPs front holes.

      • Lackadaisical

        Bonus!

      • Nephilium

        You think they plan for enforcement?

        Hell, they’re trying to move CBD derived THC to dispensaries, while saying how the legalization bill that passed (by ballot, opposed by the governor) created a “dangerous black market” since dispensaries haven’t been licensed yet.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Yeah seems a bit broad.

      Section 1024.2. It shall be unlawful for any person to buy, procure, view, or possess child pornography in violation of Sections or obscene materials or to distribute any unlawful pornography that lacks serious literary, artistic, educational, political, or scientific purposes or value as defined in Section 1024.1 through 1024.4 of this title.

      Then we get to…what is sexual? What is normal? Perverted? Some people get off on Target ads of little girls in normal clothes; is that child pornography under this law? Some teens can’t wait for their mom or sister’s Victoria Secrets magazine to arrive..those aren’t literary, artistic, education, political or scientific…

      Good luck OK.

      • pistoffnick

        My Grandma (PBUH) used to rip out the ladies underwear section of the 3″ thick JC Penny’s catalog when it arrived.

        She forgot about the swimsuit section though!

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      That bill will last about five minutes if passed.

    • AlexinCT

      Someone needs to add the music from “The Three Stooges” show to that… It might win an F-emmy.

  15. PieInTheSky

    The Islamic Republic of Iran has executed Mohammad Ghobadloo, state media has just announced.

    Mohammad, who just wanted a better life for himself and his compatriots, was a 24-year-old Iranian man arrested during the Jina uprisings in 2022 (Women, Life, Freedom).

    He was interrogated without an attorney and never given due process. Mohammad also lived with bipolar disorder and was deprived of his medication.

    He was sentenced to death on vague charges of “enmity against God (Moharebeh)” and “corruption on the earth” after only one hearing.

    Iranians around the world have been fighting for the past 12 hours to prevent his death sentence from being carried out, and his portrait has been widely shared on Twitter and Instagram.

    Mohammad’s mother has been pleading for a year for her son not to be executed.

    His family was given little warning that he was going to be executed.

    https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1749639538685976640

    • trshmnstr

      Inquisition 2: Iranian Ghobadloo

    • juris imprudent

      So is that more, or less, due process than our MidEast BFFs – the Saudis?

      • trshmnstr

        It appears to be slightly more due process than the average Jan 6er

      • juris imprudent

        We will see if SCotUS actually buys off on applying Sarbanes-Oxley to individuals criminally.

      • The Last American Hero

        He was charged with a crime in a timely manner.

    • The Other Kevin

      Sounds like they’re waiting for another palette of cash from Biden so they can afford to buy rope.

  16. Rebel Scum

    SCOTUS Allows Border Patrol to Remove Razor Wire Installed by Texas in 5-4 Ruling

    They made their law…

    • Ownbestenemy

      Can get a real Texas standoff if they don’t move their Nat Guard troops. What will the border patrol do? What would the Feds do, arrest the soldiers? Sue? Just don’t move your troops.

      • Rebel Scum

        The dishonest argument is that the feds control the border of the US. But apparently they actually don’t. And the border of TX is the border of TX, a sovereign political entity. It can defend its borders like any state can. The feds (i.e. common gov’t among the states) do not have special jurisdiction as far as I am concerned. Especially when the US gov’t is derelict and especially when it is deliberately so.

  17. Rebel Scum

    House Republican tells Texas to ignore Supreme Court ruling, as Biden is ‘staging a civil war’

    Good. But the federal government is facilitating an invasion of the states, not a civil war.

  18. PieInTheSky

    France faces four major economic challenges in 2024

    https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/01/23/france-faces-four-major-economic-challenges-in-2024

    Labour shortage/immigration bill

    The shortage of labour is one of the most common challenges of the economic sector in France. According to a European Commission report published in July 2023, shortages “are expected to persist in both high skills and low skills occupations, driven by the creation of new jobs and the need to replace workers who retire”.

    A solution to the problem is to rely on the migrant labour force whose contribution can result in net positive economic and fiscal gains.

    However, politicians in the French parliament have approved recent legislation in favour of strict control on migration.

    Rise of the far right

    While support for far-right groups across Europe is surging, the magnitude of the problem in France seems particularly strong.

    Decline in manufacturing

    The French manufacturing sector remained low throughout the year, sinking deeper at the end of 2023. If output remains at the same level, there is the possibility of a “technical recession” within the sector.

    Austerity budget

    French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has announced France will be facing an “austerity budget” in 2024. Speaking to the media, he revealed that, after ruling out tax hikes for the household, the budget contained €16 billion savings to reduce the deficit to 4.4% of economic output this year.

    • juris imprudent

      Pay no attention to French labor law.

    • The Last American Hero

      Austerity – shouldn’t that mean less spending?

      • AlexinCT

        Ma non, monsieur!

        It means even more money being spent in the short run to then be made up in the future through volume!

  19. Trials and Trippelations

    Hey current and former Texas glibs, after considering several places my wife and I think moving to Texas would be the best fit for our family. We have 2 elementary aged kids that we are homeschooling. We like being outside so being near Hill country appeals to us.
    We were thinking of settling in Temple, Waco, towns between Temple and Austin, and maybe even (outside) San Antonio if there safe, affordable places around SA. Any thoughts on these places?

      • Trials and Trippelations

        My wife said no to Houston. Traffic is a concern for her. She is pretty hesitant about SA as a result. we haven’t lived a large city since Minneapolis over 10 years ago. I did all the driving when we traveled to NYC for each Thanksgiving for the past 8 years

      • R.J.

        It’s bad. I think the high humidity and reasonable proximity to the sea make people crazy, similar to Florida.

      • Lackadaisical

        Wow, two idiots in trucks found each other. Surprised neither got ventilated. Do better Texas.

    • Cowboy

      Really depends on your career, money, col needs etc. If I were making more money, and had a job that wasn’t tied to chemical plants I would have moved to Boerne 10 years ago. Now though, it’s very popular, crowded, and expensive. The whole are is very nice though, with lots of great parks and bars and restaurants, many of them outside. There’s a great outdoor bar over by Boerne Lake that makes for a nice Saturday evening relaxing after swimming and grilling all day by the lake.

      As it is now,I really like Brenham, it hasnt exploded quite like Boerne has and has a nice small town feel while still having some nicer bars and restaurants.

      • Trials and Trippelations

        I am a nurse. I’ve been in hospitals by career so far, but I might switch to outpatient OR. My wife is a pastor, but is leaving her denomination and will take her time looking for a part time gig.
        Parks are a big plus. We are fortunate to live less than a half mile away from a state park (drawback is the damn deer destroy everything). Water is a definite plus as we have kayaks and paddle boards.

    • Not Adahn

      I did not like Waco/Temple. If you can find affordable Hill Country property you’ll be far enough away from Austin to not have to worry about them. I always enjoyed San Antonio, but I never had to live there.

    • trshmnstr

      I’ll echo others in that it depends what you want. Wife (native Texan) and I found the superbooming suburbs to be intolerable, which drove some of the desire to get out. We looked more in east TX as an escape, but costs were absurd and places like Tyler felt like miniature versions of what we were escaping. Wait in traffic in a smaller city or wait in traffic in a big metro. Get cut off by 5 Audis or get cut off by 2 Audis. At least in DFW, the culture in the suburbs has substantially changed over the past decade, and we lived in the bay area and DC long enough to know where the trend ends up.

      When I think of hill country, I think of traffic, especially in Waco and Austin. That’s not really a fair characterization, but I’ve only taken I-35 down there, and I-35 is often backed up most of the way from Dallas to Austin. Wife has some family in SA (Boerne) and they really like it there. If you’re planning to stay in your next place for the long haul, think about what the growth will look like and double the consequences in your mind. We tried a few times to find a quiet corner of town, only to watch it get overrun by easy California money, headquarters relocations, and/or other consequences of the megagrowth, and it took months, not years.

      • Trials and Trippelations

        We would like to get at least 10 years out of the next place.
        We currently live in Durham and the affluent here live and espouse Berkley etc values. The women on the Durham FB try to out virtue signal each other and actively compete in the victimhood olympics. The other half of Durham is a crime ridden disaster. We want to live somewhere where at least through the kids elementary school years they can interact and befriend with kids that are not anxiety ridden wrecks, kids that have parents that discipline against disrespect and disobedience, and at least some kids that are Christian.

        Trashy where did you end up settling down?

      • trshmnstr

        We want to live somewhere where at least through the kids elementary school years they can interact and befriend with kids that are not anxiety ridden wrecks, kids that have parents that discipline against disrespect and disobedience, and at least some kids that are Christian.

        As you have likely encountered in Durham, there’s Christian and there’s “Christian”. “Christian” and all of the vices you want to avoid tend to be closely correlated, and we really had a sense of “swimming upstream” against the culture when raising our kids, even in our relatively conservative and relatively healthy church in DFW.

        I hesitate to recommend any specific areas because of how much things have changed over the past five years in the entire eastern half of TX, but you may need to trade commute for quality of life if you want to get out of that neurotic, vapid, “gentle” suburban sphere.

        Trashy where did you end up settling down?

        We ended up halfway between Springfield and Joplin in southern Missouri. We’re close enough to a big enough town that we’re not roughing it by any means, but it’s a bit of a hike to either of the big cities, and by “big” I mean they’re smaller combined than the suburb we lived at in DFW.

        It feels like we time traveled to the 80s or 90s culturally, which is a huge breath of fresh air.

    • Necron 99

      Consider west of Fort Worth. The Palo Pinto Mountains (mountains should be in scare quotes) are lovely but not as dramatic as Hill Country. From Weatherford to Breckenridge east to west, and Jackboro to Stephenville north to south, is a lovely area that is close enough to the Fort Worth to accommodate occasional travel to the big city, and remote enough to actually be left alone. State parks in the area include Possum Kingdom, Lake Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto Mountains, and more. If you want real country there are small towns dotted around, or if you prefer more upscale then Weatherford, Granbury, or even closer to Fort Worth proper would likely do.

      As a nurse there are likely good paying gigs in the larger areas, and tons of non-denominational churches everywhere.

      This area is my little slice of heaven, I shoot lots of skeet, trap, and sporting clays as well as ride my little V-Strom all over the back roads. Not too crowded, and close enough to everything I need. Good luck, and welcome.

      • Trials and Trippelations

        Cool. I think that is a new suggestion to us, so we’ll have to check that out

      • Necron 99

        This area also has the small town of Cool. LOL

      • R C Dean

        Give San Angelo a look. West of the Hill Country a little ways, definitely West Texas by feel. Decent size, nice folks (as is typical of West Texas), should be affordable. I lived there for five years and liked it, but I was raised in West Texas so it felt like home. Not a lot of opportunities for Mrs. Dean, which ultimately led us to move to Tucson.

    • Lackadaisical

      Florida is supposed to be ready to homeschool in, but I don’t have any experience, and hills are few and far between….

      ‘Waco ‘ got your eye on a compound?

    • juris imprudent

      We have some friends (refugees from CA) that landed in Kerrville and decided to stay.

  20. Rebel Scum

    Republicans recover over 100 files deleted by Jan. 6 committee days before GOP took majority: Report

    I guess they didn’t wipe the serve, like with a cloth.

  21. rhywun

    LOL I overslept two hours.

    I guess I needed it.

    • AlexinCT

      Sometimes you need to give the body what the body wants…

  22. PieInTheSky

    Family’s lives ‘completely torn apart’ by cyclist’s hit-and-run death
    Gao Gao died after she was hit by a driver speeding at almost 50mph in a 20mph residential street in Hackney as she cycled home

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/gao-gao-cyclist-hit-and-run-hackney-london-trial-sentencing-b1133890.html

    CCTV played in court showed how the driver, Martin Reilly, 29, lost control of his uninsured Nissan Note car in wet conditions, causing it to overturn and sending it barrelling head-on into Gao Gao in Whiston Road around 6.40pm on September 21 last year.

    Prior to the collision, he had driven the wrong way up a one-way street, driven through a red light and had crossed to the wrong side of the road to overtake two cars immediately before crashing into Gao Gao, who was wearing bright clothing and had a flashing light on the front of her bike.

    Reilly, who had 20 previous convictions and was on police bail at the time, fled the overturned vehicle with his father, James Reilly, who was a passenger in the car.

    He has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and is facing a 12-year prison sentence, though this will be reduced by 25 per cent because of his guilty plea.

    So what would you think an appropriate jail sentence is for such a case? And how about some compensation for the family, though harder cause not insured

    • Brawndo

      20 convictions by age 29? Wtf Britain?

      “He has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and is facing a 12-year prison sentence, though this will be reduced by 25 per cent because of his guilty plea”

      Oh, yeah maybe that’s why so many criminals with long rap sheets are out and about.

      • rhywun

        In the U.S. that is a deliberate choice because “equity”.

        I don’t know what Britain’s excuse it.

    • Lackadaisical

      Because of the history of crime (not sure the charges) disregard for life and driving without any sort of plan in case things went wrong…. He should be away until he cannot be a danger to society. At least 40 years I’d say. Lifetime ban on operating vehicles on public streets… Etc.

      Florida says the max is 15 years for a similar crime.

  23. Rebel Scum

    The Republican Party continues to pretend to have a primary

    Neo-con Nikki is just about to clinch.

    • R C Dean

      I prefer Nuke ‘Em Nikki, myself.

    • Lackadaisical

      Couldn’t access that article, but looked at what Reuters. It is only effective for two years, and only if you use other precautions… Sounds familiar. A real effective vaccine for malaria would be really cool, this doesn’t seem to be it.

  24. Rebel Scum

    GOP’s Slim House Majority Gets Even Narrower

    They aim to lose.

    • rhywun

      Case in point: ganging up on that chubby gay or not gay liar from Long Island.

      They do not know how to play the game.

    • PieInTheSky

      the pay is not for the investing maybe?

    • Gustave Lytton

      The someone being paid- journalist or fund manager? Because it looks to me like it’s a way for Bill to continue to exercise control via stock (to some extent) while nominally being a charitable donation/tax shelter.

      • Sensei

        Nominally there is a PM for this.

  25. Beau Knott

    A wonderful early (1950’s I believe) libertarian sf story by Erik Frank Russell. Enjoy!

    • robc

      tldr

    • mindyourbusiness

      Read that one years back. EFR was a fine writer. If you want to get a good laugh, read his Allamagoosa.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Nothing makes a soldier happier than moving to and exposed position to hold a pole.

      • AlexinCT

        That maneuver is called upward rappelling?

  26. Rebel Scum

    “Vivacious Vivek, I call him…

    Vivek Ramaswamy please come here.
    Vivek, he’s a dynamo!
    President Donald J Trump just now.

    …He reminds me of my primary care physician, folks. I’ll make him the head of IT in the next Trump White House.”

      • The Other Kevin

        There were some Republicans offended by that. But Vivek thought it was funny and he’s playing along.

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        Someone modified that to say that Trump appointed him head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

      • tripacer

        Well, I mean… it is offensive. Offensive and hilarious.

  27. PieInTheSky

    World’s oldest forest discovered close to New York City

    A remarkable discovery near New York City has unveiled the world’s oldest forest, dating back 385 million years.

    Located in Cairo, Green County, about two hours north of the city by car, the ancient forest offers a glimpse into a prehistoric world that even predates the dinosaurs.

    https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-oldest-forest-discovered-close-to-new-york-city/

    • Ted S.

      I thought we were covered by glaciers up through 15,000 years ago or so.

      • juris imprudent

        The implication that there is continuity of the forest is really stupid.

    • juris imprudent

      The continent of Laurussia, pre-Pangea, and it would’ve been tropical.

    • AlexinCT

      I am never surprised to hear people that would freak out and be pissed that you would dare tell them they shouldn’t earn more cause they are not worth it, demanding other people earn less so they can get free shit….

      The problem isn’t capitalism… It’s the ole deadly sins of greed/envy/sloth…

  28. Sean

    I played https://squaredle.com/xp 01/23:
    *23/23 words (+6 bonus words)
    📖 In the top 15% by bonus words

    I played https://squaredle.com 01/23:
    *31/31 words (+9 bonus words)
    ⏱️ In the top 14% by speed
    🔥 Solve streak: 121

    • SDF-7

      I played https://squaredle.com/xp 01/23:
      *23/23 words (+2 bonus words)
      🎯 In the top 12% by accuracy

      I played https://squaredle.com 01/23:
      *31/31 words (+6 bonus words)
      🎯 In the top 6% by accuracy
      🔥 Solve streak: 207

  29. PieInTheSky

    “Are self-conscious emotions about the self? Testing competing theories of shame and guilt across two disparate cultures”

    A popular idea in psychology is that shame & guilt come down to how you think about yourself following a negative outcome.

    The view that shame & guilt are about the self goes by “attributional theory.” According to att. theory, if you failed to help a friend in need (failure being incongruent with your identity as a “good friend”), you’d feel *guilt* if you blamed failure on, say, lapse in attention (a controllable, unstable cause: “If only I had paid attention to their need”). Instead, you’d feel *shame* if you blamed failure on being a selfish person (uncontrollable, stable cause, e.g., “If only I weren’t so selfish”) There is consensus that guilt leads to approach, apologies, & amends, whereas shame leads to evasion, blaming others, & aggression (shame can lead to amends but more weakly than guilt)

    Functionalist theory is different. Here, both guilt and shame are adaptations that solve different challenges of social life. Guilt is elicited by harming people we value (often unintentionally). And shame is elicited by the threat of being devalued by others(often due to leakage of negative info about the self). So, attributional theory views shame and guilt as self-conscious emotions & shame as an inferior, pathological substitute for guilt.

    Results: There is strong evidence for functionalist theory but little evidence for attributional theory. In the US…

    https://twitter.com/MitchSBLanders/status/1749560649535967717

    If you asked me before I read about these theories I would have thought that shame is more often about what others think about you not by what you think of yourself.

    • Nephilium

      I’d say I feel guilt when I cause harm to others. I feel shame when I don’t live up to my own standards.

      • PieInTheSky

        I think most people feel shame not when they do something but when they are caught by others…

      • Not Adahn

        I feel guilt when I wrong others. I no longer feel shame.

      • kinnath

        Shameless

  30. Rebel Scum

    Who?

    When former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson threw his support behind Nikki Haley in the GOP presidential race, his message was as much an indictment of the former president as it was an endorsement of Haley ahead of New Hampshire’s Tuesday primary.

    “Anyone who believes Donald Trump will unite this country has been asleep over the last 8 years. Trump intentionally tries to divide America and will continue to do so. Go @NikkiHaley in New Hampshire,” Hutchinson wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday afternoon.

    That’s not the impression that I get. Oh, wait. You are a lying, neo-con cunte.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Asa is an archetypical corporate GOP sack of shit and, like Nikki, would be happy to send your kids off to war so he can get a bigger house.

    • AlexinCT

      Needs more tits.

      • Lackadaisical

        Tits are overrated. The glute development on these athletes would be too w notch.

      • The Other Kevin

        We need to see a Teqball ass slap gif to be sure.

      • Lackadaisical

        I found it hard to keep my eye on the ball.

    • CPRM

      Ping pong for people who can’t see that tiny ball?

      • R C Dean

        Looks like soccer and ping pong split a bottle of cheap tequila, and 9 months later, teqball.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Impressive…seems like a novelty thing though.

  31. PieInTheSky

    Here are some sounds you’ll recognize if you were alive in the 1980s. All of the sounds are created by interacting with these then-everyday objects.

    https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1749712524843343909

    In Romania we had all those things in the 90s as well.

    • R.J.

      We did too. I don’t think the CD player fully supplanted tape decks until almost 2000.

      • Sean

        My 2000 S4 had a combo CD & tape deck factory head unit.

      • R.J.

        Volkswagen still had standard tape decks in 2000, I remember now.

  32. Lackadaisical

    “GOP’s Slim House Majority Gets Even Narrower”

    That’s uncomfortable. I know many are not impressed by the GOP, but handling Democrats the keys to the kingdom certainly isn’t going to end well.

    • The Other Kevin

      I doubt the GOP leadership realizes that if the Dems are ever completely in charge, they are going to hunt the GOP down and create a system in which they won’t ever win another election. I wouldn’t be surprised if they banned the GOP altogether for being “insurrectionists”.

      • R.J.

        If that happened, fully half of republican lawmakers would just shrug and change to democrats.

  33. The Late P Brooks

    Trump intentionally tries to divide America and will continue to do so.

    And anybody who supports him should be cast out of civil society.

    • Rebel Scum

      Unity!

    • PieInTheSky

      just 40k? Rookie numbers

  34. PieInTheSky

    Davos Elites: “Ve Vont to Protect You From Dis Information”

    https://dailysceptic.org/2024/01/22/davos-elites-ve-vont-to-protect-you-from-dis-information/

    So, in spite of the Russia/Ukraine war, the growing conflict in the Middle East and the Chinese military threats to Taiwan, Ursula believes the most important issue facing the world is “disinformation and misinformation” – basically what we plebs are allowed to see and hear. And she believes a key role for the elites is rebuild trust in the plans the elites have for us by protecting us against being fed information which she and other leaders consider to be potentially harmful or polarising.

  35. PieInTheSky

    In late 2022, a member of the “Gilbert Goons” attacked Connor Jarnagan with brass knuckles, striking him in the head.

    Now, Jarnagan, 17, is working to get the weapon used against him — metal fittings that go around the fingers and amplify the force of a punch — regulated.

    Jarnagan wrote a letter on Oct. 6, calling on legislators to limit brass knuckles in Arizona, one of 12 states where the weapon is unrestricted under state law. In 17 more states, the weapon is legal with a permit.

    https://eu.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/legislature/2024/01/23/victim-of-gilbert-goons-attack-wants-law-to-limit-brass-knuckles/72304325007/

  36. The Late P Brooks

    Guns cause suicide

    But those who work on the front lines of suicide prevention say there’s another, bigger elephant in the room. And that’s all the guns and easy access to them.

    “One of the challenging aspects of working in the Rocky Mountain region is just the availability and accessibility of firearms,” says Brittany Wardle, a prevention officer at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. “Some days it feels very overwhelming because you think, ‘If we didn’t have firearms to worry about, what would suicide look like here?'”

    But gun control in Wyoming is widely seen as being off the table. It’s also unlikely the state will expand Medicaid anytime soon, which experts say could increase mental health services.

    If only we could take their guns away, people would be happy, and live forever.

    • Nephilium

      If only we could take their guns away, people would be happy, and live forever.

      Ignore Japan.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Exactly my thought-there’d just be more hangings, haunted forests, and haunted cliffs I suppose considering it’s the Rockies.

    • Rebel Scum

      If we didn’t have firearms to worry about, what would suicide look like here?’”

      Hanging? Drowning?

      But gun control in Wyoming is widely seen as being off the table. It’s also unlikely the state will expand Medicaid anytime soon, which experts say could increase mental health services.

      What a retarded statement.

    • juris imprudent

      expand Medicaid

      So poor they can’t afford healthcare, but they can afford guns. Right.

  37. The Late P Brooks

    One recent week, she had logged hundreds of miles in her Toyota hybrid minivan crisscrossing southern Wyoming visiting local gun shops and advocating for safe storage — where a customer can bring their guns in and store them temporarily in a safe, no questions asked.

    You might want to check with the ATF on that first.

    • R.J.

      Cool. So then people will off themselves in more painful and slow ways, like hanging or slitting wrists or wandering off in a blizzard. It will have no impact on suicides.

      • Lackadaisical

        Seems like the real issue is not having a populace that finds death preferable to life. Maybe work on that instead.

  38. The Late P Brooks

    Also- that info about the Toyota hybrid minivan is crucial. It gives us a window into what a remarkable person she really is.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      I find it mildly encouraging in that even lefty POS butter inners realize that they want fuck all to do with pure EVs.

  39. PieInTheSky

    Seven technologies to watch in 2024
    Advances in artificial intelligence are at the heart of many of this year’s most exciting areas of technological innovation

    https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00173-x

  40. The Late P Brooks

    Cochran, a local hairdresser, was elected to her local school board recently in part on a platform of increasing mental health access for students. She says she’ll work as hard as she can to ensure that no other family has to endure the pain hers is going through.

    “It’s a system problem that just is going to continue to repeat itself until we show kids and talk to kids openly. I mean, guns aren’t going away,” she says.

    Maybe we should lay off encouraging kids to nurture their feelings of victimhood and misery.

    • Lackadaisical

      “Maybe we should lay off encouraging kids to nurture their feelings of victimhood and misery.”

      This is actually very important. Way too much emphasis on how people feel, and not enough emphasis on actionable steps to improve their lives.

      Also, everyone tries to scare the shit out of kids for no reason. I’m constantly having to curate what my son is exposed to due to the overwhelming amount of Armageddon porn in kids books and TV shows.

  41. The Late P Brooks

    Stick with the proven loser

    Still, comparatively little attention has been devoted to the question of how the two would govern differently as president of the United States.

    You might think the answer would be simple: Trump would be his unhinged self, and Haley would be more of a “normal” Republican. Trump would pose a dire threat to democracy and the rule of law, and Haley would not.

    And that’s a big part of the story — arguably, most of the story. Trump doesn’t respect election results, can inspire mob violence like that of January 6, and wants to turn the Justice Department against his critics. None of those apply to Haley.

    On domestic policy, reports suggest a second-term Trump would use executive power very aggressively to crack down on immigration and fire vast swathes of civil service employees, and perhaps to reshape US trade policy as well. There’s reason to doubt Haley would go so far on any of these issues.

    The complication is in foreign policy. There, the combination of Trump’s erraticism and his “America First” instincts presents risks to global stability. But Haley has campaigned as the avatar of a hawkish GOP establishment that has been responsible for major foreign policy disasters. The current obvious area of contrast is that Haley staunchly supports Ukraine and Trump does not, but their differing instincts could play out in other yet-to-erupt conflicts in unpredictable ways.

    God knows we cannot allow Trump to get back in the White House, but Haley will drag us into foreign policy disasters, unlike Biden.

    • trshmnstr

      I, for one, trust Vox to know republican voters’ priorities.

      • Sensei

        They’ve gone out and studied them.

    • juris imprudent

      Trump would pose a dire threat to democracy and the rule of law, and Haley would not.

      Sure. Haley would be a tyrant the moment she was a real threat to win. It’s like you think we’ve never noticed how that play is run? You ain’t Vince Lombardi and this isn’t the Packers’ power sweep.

      • creech

        She’d be Eva Braun’s evil step sister or something.

  42. Ownbestenemy

    APNews

    81-year-old voter says 81-year-old Biden is too old

    That is an Onion headline except it came from a ‘news’ site.

    • Lackadaisical

      Look, old people know they’re not as sharp as they used to be. If anyone would know, it’s be an 81-year old.

      Trump is old as dirt too, but he’s not as bad as Biden.

    • juris imprudent

      That’s an 81 year-old person that never expected to live past 75.

    • Shpip

      Damn shame. But I’m still left with a couple of questions:

      1) How did she get the time to post bikini selfies from exotic locales while in the army full-time? and
      2) How could she afford these high-end vacations on a staff sergeant’s salary?

      I’m guessing that whoever paid for the bolt-ons financed her glamorous NCO lifestyle. I feel sorry for the little girl, though.

    • Necron 99

      Side-straddle hop position!!! One, Two, Three, ONE, One, Two…