New Years eve parties are outlawed here:

 And rightly so. 

However, there is a "protest" planned at my home from 9 PM to 1 AM. Feel free to attend and show your support of this protest. Free speech is important.....

Refreshments provided. 

End of a shitty year

 While it can always be worse, I can't say that I will look back on 2020 fondly. 

And yes, I do look forward to 2021. 

Having said that, this was a shitty year. Friends lost their business, some got Covid,  I lost people I knew to other causes.....We have all, essentially, been trapped in our homes for the past 10 months or so. We had an election whose legitimacy is (and always will be) in doubt....and that election will forever taint the trust that we have in our election process, from now until far into the future.....My plans for my future blew up, leaving me somewhat rudderless on the personal front. 

2021 may be better, it may not. Covid will fade, but now we have an illegitimate President who is feeble and weak, and whose loyalties are suspect. His second is, to put it bluntly, a socialist in the mold of Barry Obama, only even less restrained...I fear for my country. I fear for the economic health of our fellow citizens, and I fear for the ability of our military to defend our country and the citizens therein. I fully expect to see cuts on Militaty funding to pay for ever increasing Social Programs...Funded with non existent dollars that will dilute the savings of millions of people who have worked and saved for many years for their future. I fear we will inundated with non citizens that will dilute the vote of the folks who care for this country and it's culture and productivity. 

And yet, I have hope. Hope that the American People will overcome.....that they will soon take up their jobs again, and work and be productive and make this country great DESPITE the so-called elected leaders we have. That they will thrive despite the drain on their resources and savings. That they will overcome the obstacles that have been put into their path, and succeed despite the obstacles yet to come. 

I believe in my own future.....things may have changed for me, but I believe that things will regain their equilibrium.....a door closed, but others lie ahead. I pray I choose the right doors, but forward is generally better....and I will continue forward. 

As I said, I will not miss the 2020 year. While it could have been worse, it wasn't all that great, either. 

I hope that 2021 is better for all of my readers. Fear not, do not lose hope, bear down and move into the future with confidence. 

To do otherwise is to fail. 

Mary Ann has passed:

 So Phil posted that Mary Ann had passed. 

Shit, man, I am geting old. The stars of my childhood are dying of old age. 

I always felt the was the better of the two. Ginger was hot, but Mary Ann was hotter. 

Wirecutter (AKA Knuckledraggin) is down

 The blog throws a "harmful Programs" warning in Google and IE. 

Kenny is aware of it, and is working on a solution to fix it. 

ETA : It appears to be a glitch. His site works now on IE with no errors. Apparently this has happened to other blogs that are not terribly liberal, so who knows? 

I dont think I could get to that level with a funnel

 and someone pouring for me. And trust me, in my earlier dayz, I tried more than once. 

Former alderman is arrested with a 0.32 Blood Alcohol Level after hitting 8 parked cars and a tree in Chicago.

0.32. 

Jesus, that comes under the label of "Professional Drinker". 

Sponsor an American:

 For only $1.64 a day, YOU CAN SPONSOR AN AMERICAN...

Nancy Pelosi thinks that is enough, as do many other members of Congress.....

One of ours

 A fellow Blogger is in the hospital with Covid. 

He tested positive about a week ago, and yesterday, he went to the emergency care and was admitted to the hospital. 

Apparently it is serious enough that he's boarding his dog...

Prayers for him should be directed to your favorite deity, but good wishes can be directed to him HERE,

He expects to be in the hspital for a while... 

The perfect Patsy

 OK, maybe not a perfect patsy......but a pretty good one. 

So Anthony Quinn Warner is blamed for the explosion in Nashville on Christmas. 

Oddities though. He was killed in the explosion, so he can't speak for himself, nor can he be interviewed...no one to refute the claims of his paranoia, nor corraborate it either....... Further, he gave his two homes away to some woman months ago. And apprently didn't live at the house where the RV was parked anymore.....

Odd, innit? And there is no way for authorities to look at surveillance video to know if someone drove his RV to the scene...perhaps dead, and perhaps alive before the explosion.....we don't know simply because there isn't (wasn't) enough surveillance on the scene to tell if someone left the RV after it was parked...And Mr Warner isn't answering any Law Enforcement investigators questions......

I guess we will have to wait for the authorities to make up a better story fill in the details.

I'm still thinking there is another facet here. 

ETA: I don't think that "Dominion" had anything to do with this....IF (and it is an IF) there is any data on the voting ystems it would be stored in many locations....and this was a telecommunications SWITCH point that was taken offline. Servers might have been there, but they would be backed up elsewhere as well.....So I don't think Dominion voting data has anything to do with this. I think there is another facet here that we don't yet know about. There is no logical reason to connect the two, except unfounded conspiracies. There was nothing to be gained as far as hiding some "data" that may or may not esist. There are easier and better ways to get rid of the "Dominion Data" than a half-assed bombing.

Means, motive, opportunity. What was Mr Warners? 

So... questions about the Nashville Incident:

 While the photos of the crime scene are few and far between and typically don't show much detail, there are things that I CAN see..

Ferinstance.. the street does not appear to have a big crater...which would tell us that the explosive wasn't TNT or likely even ANFO... (Or it wasn't that big of a bomb if it were miltary grade explosive)...(I could be wrong here, as the data is slim and there aren't good overheads)...but it appears that this was a fairly low order explosion. 

The FBI and ATF haven't told us what kind of explosive was used (so far) so we really don't know....But, again,  from the types of damage, it does not appear to be a high order explosion, which means it was likely a homemade bomb, albeit a decent sized one. Had it been a high order explosion contained in that relatively narrow street the damage would likely have been much greater. More structural damage to the buildings near the explosion site. Like most of the building facades would have collapsed...which leads me to wonder. 

The ATT facility was damaged, but not destroyed....It is already coming back online...which still begs the question...was it the target? If so, why? If it wasn't the target, then what was? 

So what type of "bomb" was it...? Why was it placed where it was placed? Other than the ATT building, the area seems pretty much not a target. If it WAS the ATT switch, why? (The systems that are used for telecom switching would make the interruptions of service limited to farirly local, not nationwide.....) Why there? And, of course, nearly all the police and Federal Investigators are focused on the bomb scene.....and not anywhere else in the area. 

I still have the feeling there is something else.. a second layer, as it were, that we are not yet aware of. 

 

The day after:

 I hope you all had a good Christmas... gifts, food, and fellowship. 

Further, I hope you all remembered why we celebrate...

SO the story of the explosion in Nashville is odd. 

Gunfire heard in the area..., then the cops "noticed" the RV.....? Said RV had been reported to have been parked there the night before.... and was unremarked until the morning....

Then the RV began warning everyone with a voice message that an explosion was imminent (Kudos to the cops who took the warning and got people nearby to safety!) 

Then it exploded.....Apparently damaging a telecommunications switch point. 

Lots of oddities here. Like something out of a spy or adventure novel. 

One wonders what residence or bank or other facility was robbed while this was going on and there was no way for the alarm system to signal a break-in? (after all, if a Bank or Government facility, it might be closed unilt the next day, or even the following Monday....a long time, really, for the thieves to get away).....Obviously, the perpetrators of the explosion did not wish to hurt anyone.....Or perhaps it was a disgruntled employee of the telpehone company? 

Either way, lots and lots of oddities. Not consistent with Terrorism as we generally define it. I bet the FBI and their ilk are having a fun time of it today. 

And say a prayer for all the folks

 Who have hand their lives (and Cristmas celebration) interrupted in the early morning explosion in downtown Nashville. 

No one killed, some hurt, and Law Enforcement is saying it was not an accident. IF it was terrorism, from whatever source, we should root them out, no matter what, no matter where they hide. 

Breaking story, so we will have to wait for details. 

Update: Lots more HERE

Merry Christmas

 May you and your families enjoy a Merry Christmas. 

This may not be a "Normal" Christmas, but let us not forget why we clelebrate this day. 

If you are mot Christian, plrease take the above in the manner in which it was intended. 

Double standards (again)

 So everyone on the left, and the Media (but I repeat myself) is crying about the Presidential Pardons that are happening.....

Really? What is the difference between these pardons and the slew of pardons that Barry the O did as he was leaving office? One thing: These current pardons are for folks that the Left hates, rather than Barrys pardoned criminals, whom the Left had a soft spot for.  

But, of course, the Left is making a big deal bout these folks that Donald is gifting pardons to, because they are not Approvd Felons.....It would be irritating to me, the double standards of the Left, except that I have come to expect it. 

Can any Congress, ever,

 pass any sort of relief bill without padding it with a great deal of "pork"..often at an amount even greater than the amount of relief for the actual reason for the bill? 

I mean, it seems that each and every time this sort of bill is legislated, the pork add ons are incredible....

and I am not singling out the Democrats for this behavior. Both sides are guilty. 

Fewer cars on the road has an insignificant impact on Glowbal warming?

 So CBS News has stated that fewer cars are on the road because of Covid lockdowns and people working from home...

And that has had an "insignificant" impact on Global Warming. Literally 15% fewer cars,  7% fewer "emissions" yet it has effectively no impact.....could it be that the models are wrong? All those emails from Stay at Home workers are negating the effect of all those cars driving fewer miles... (ad)

They claim that 100 emails produce the same carbon footprint as 1 mile of driving (Which is a terrible oversimplification, really) So all those people working from home are negating the fact that they aren't driving to work.....All those emails use a terrible amount of power..... 

Or is it possible that all those cars had a negligible impact BEFORE the Covid crisis? And the computers are a wash, whether they are produced and read from home or in an office, as are the emails. The servers are operating, and sending an email through it uses a very tiny addional amount of power vs the server sitting idle, but powered.... It's not like anyone is gonna shut down the email servers, is it? 

Can the folks at CBS do any math? Have they no logic in their thoughts? 

I fail all the time...

 If you don't fail sometimes, then you ain't tryin'. 

AC has some good wisdom.  

I think most people are too afraid of failure

Well, that was a bit of fun

 So here I am driving...and some asshole had to wave his---Corvette---- at everyone. 

It was a nice car, but driven by an idiot. He did , obviously, have a LOT of cash, as there is no other reason a 25 year old lday who looks and dresses like that would be his wife....as old as he was....I assume a wife, 'cause she was wearing a 3 carat or better bit of carbon crystal on her hand. 

Anyway, he was tearing it up, showing off the power of the car. I couldn't resist messing with him in the Dodge Diesel...Yes, out of town that car can run away from me, and, in the hands of a person who knows how to drive, can eat me for lunch (I am, after all, driving a 4WD diesel)...but in town I was able to not only keep up, but run away from him stoplight to stoplight...and brake well enough to negate his advantage there as well. Plus weaving in and out of traffic....He didn't know how to drive. It was fun. Turns too, I'm no expert at driving, but he was most obviously not a well trained driver.... And while we weren't really street racing (that would be illgal, after all) it was a bit sporty at times, not only stoplight to stoplight, but through the curvy bits as well. In the hands of an expert driver (which he was most obviously not) the Corvette can do a lot. In his hands, I was able to make him look bad with a truck...His lady was laughing at his antics...and at one stoplight smiled, winked, and stuck her toungue out at me...She knew.

Nice ride though. I wish I could afford one like that. Plus the car...

Yep

 Much truth HERE

A Message From Federal, CCI, Speer And Remington

For those folks who don't understand basic suppy and demans...Economics 101. as it were. 

And for those who say "why don't they build more plants? ....would you invest tens of millions of dollars, if you knew that in a month Kamala Harris Joe Biden would be President? Knowing that you might be investing for a future where it is hard for people to own firearms much less shoot 'em? Where your investment might end up sitting idle? 

If you were foolish enough to not stock up on ammo during the Trump years, then you deserve the situation you find yourself in now. 

USPS fails:

 Can anyone explain why the USPS is failing in such a spectacular fashion nearly everywhere this year?

I mean, on a good year, the US Postal Service is a less than excellent service provider. They do (sorta) usually step it up for Christmas season, but for the past several months they ahve been....less than stellar...

Why? Is there a (valid) reason for this? 

How would you know?

 Maybe Pence DID get the vaccine shot this morning....and maybe he didn't....Perhaps it was just saline solution in that syringe. 

HOW WOULD YOU KNOW one way or the other? 

Were you there? Did you see the vial that the "vaccine" was drawn from? Do you know the provenance of that vial?  

I'm not saying that he did not get the shot....but I have no way of knowing what was in that syringe. No way of verifying any of the claims.

It might well be that it is all theater. Most "News" is. I have no way of knowing if anyone that I can trust verfied that the stuff that was injected into out (current) vice-President was, in fact, the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. ...nor that it wasn't for that matter. 

Neither do you. 

Think about it. Do you have any reason to trust any of the actors here? The Media? I don't. I believe that Pence is a good man, but even he doesn't know, for sure, what was in that needle or where it came from. 

It's not like the Media or the Federal Government has ever lied to us before.....

"Some white guy"

 So I stopped on the way to some shopping...

I see these two women on the left side of the road, on the shoulder, hazard lights blinking. I pull over in front of them and walk back to see if they need my help. (I may not be a gentleman, but I can't pass by a lady in distress)

They had lost the entire exhaust system, catalytic converter back. It was hanging by a thin strip of exhaust tubing and one mount, getting caught under one of the rear tires, and making a lot of dragging noise. Not a big deal, easily removed so they could get on their way. Took less than 5 minutes. 

The one lady was on the phone with someone, and when I offered help, she said into the phone "Some white guy is here and he is helping us". 

Did I mention that these two ladies were african-American? 

But I wasn't "Some Guy" I was "Some White Guy" to her. I didn't care what color they were, I saw two ladies in need of help. She saw a "White Guy".  

I got them on their way, and her companion thanked me for my help. 

But it was strange. 

"We can't go anywhere!"

 That is the cry of folks in the northeast that are trapped by the 10-27 inches of snow (depending on locations) from this latest winter storm...

I say, So what? You can't go anywhere anyway 'cause of Covid, so sit and wait for the streets to be plowed...

I mean, bars, and restaurants are closed, right? You should have at least a few days worth of food...

So what is the big deal, really?

It is sad when I have to remove a blog

 From the sidebar.....especially one that has been there since I started blogging. 

But go far enough around the bend, edit your comments enough, or just plain lose the ability to be rational and I gotta. I once greatly respected this blogger. Sadly, not so much anymore.

Previously, I had only removed folks who had apprently stopped blogging. 

But hey, it had to happen. 

I expect Rear-End-collisions to increase....

 Seems that Pete Buttigieg is gonna be the new Transportation Secretary. You know, the Presidential Candidate that was described by the Media as "The openly Gay Mayor of South Bend, Indiana"....

(actually,  all jokes in poor taste aside, he's been a pretty good Mayor for that city. and had he been a realistic choice for President, I might have considered him, unlike Biden....and, unlike the media folks, I don't give a shit who he sleeps with....All I care about is "Can he do the Job?" I dunno how much he knows about Transportation issues, but he is a good manager.)

When your face falls off, or your lips swell up permanently

 Or all your hair falls out...or you have permanent nerve damage....

Remember, the US Government has indemnified the makers of Covid vaccine from any liability.

Now, I'm not saying any of the above things might happen to you when you get the vaccine....For all I know it has zero negative effects....I mean, my medical expertise is not that high...In fact, it is no better than Bill Gates level (neither of us have any, to be exact)...But the actual test pool is very small (so far... it is about to get much, much larger very quickly).

But if some bad result happens from some part of the vaccine, you have absolutely ZERO recourse. The folks that make, distribute, transport, or administer the potion have no liability should something untoward happen to you. They are protected..you are not. Thre is very little you can do...you do ahve a limited abilty to get some compensation from the Feds, but it is limited and is only for a year. 

Me? I intend to selflessly wait until most of my fellow citizens have tested the vaccine been inoculated before me....

If you haven't read it yet

 You should probably go to read Adaptive Curmudgeons latest thoughts (HERE).

SOmething to think about...

And if you don't read him when he (isfrequently) posts something new you should. He can be found on the left side of this blog in the bloglist.

didja ever notice?

 A winter storm that happens in the midwest...say 10-20 inches of snow and some wind.....isn't news on the national level? 

But let a storm even move towards Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC, or Boston and OMFG! Apocalypse! It gets news coverage all over the place. The East and West voast folks could care less what happens in Flyover Country.

Now that it looks like Joseph R Biden will be President....

And, of course, since that makes Kamala Harris his Vice-President:

 Let me state this up front: 

In the next 4 years:...

Joseph Biden didn't hang himself like Epstien.

He didn't commit suicide like Vince Foster.

He didn't die in a car wreck. 

Probably didn't die from Covid, either. 

I'm not saying he will die in office...

I do, however, expect that he will suffer some tragic issue which will force him to choose to resign, and step aside for Kamala. 

Bet on it. 

 

That was a nice Speech, Mr. Biden.

 But I have to wonder....who were you trying to convinve? Me? Or yourself? 

It must be sad to know that you are the first illegitimate president of the United States. 

Boosting the signal:

 Go on over to OldNFO's place and read his post. 

He's right, we need to think this way. 

Watching the Sunday media

 (Or one might genuinely call it Propaganda) broadcasts...

EVERY.SINGLE. ONE. used (repeatedly) the term "Safe and Effective" when referring to the Covid Vaccine...

Like "We are distributing this "Safe and Effective" vaccine as fast as possible"

"Distribution of ths "Safe and Effective" Vaccine is being organized to get to everyobody as fas as can be"

And so on, and so forth....

EVERY. SINGLE channel used the term....multiple times. 

One almost might think that they are not sure, and are reapeating it as a Mantra. 

It occurs to me

 That there is more evidece for "Election Fraud" in 2020 than there ever was for "Russian Interference" in 2016. 

If only we could get an investigation into the Election Fraud in 2020 that would match the scope and effort that was put into the "Russian Interference" claim, we'd actually have something for the money we spent. 

But the Powers on the Right care little, so long as Trump is on his way out. They are willing to take Joe Biden "Winning" a very flawed election over 4 more years of Donald Trump/ The Left gets what it wants.The only loser is the USA and its citizens. 

So there is no Congressional or Senatorial investigation. 

Framing the narrative

 ALL the media uses terms like "Baseless Claims" and "Unfounded Allegations" and "Unsubstantiated Accusations" ..."Totally unfounded Claims" to describe Donald Trump's claims of election fraud ....almost like there is someone telling them how to frame the narrative or something......All of the Big Tv Media uses the same terms....I see it in both the National news and the "Local" stuff out of Chicago. 

And yet, Texas and a whole bunch of states have chosen to file  lawsuits over those claims....

And another thing:

 Now that the "elections" are over...(or at least the polling that we claimed is a free and fair election)...have ya noticed how, miraculously, there have apparently been no shootings of "innocent Black Men" by the police...(Or at least the Media isn't hyping the fact that it has happened)...no outrage being fanned by Facebook posts, no Social Media ...no Twitter, nothing on the Television....nothing. 

It's od, innit? Almost like the Media was using Black people to skew the voting habits of Black people and Brown people and other minorities.....One might (if one were a suspicious person like me...or perhaps just someone who can think) come to believe that there was a campaign to fan some outrage over nonexistent inequities in some segments of our society for a purpose......

Have you noticed?

 For the past 9 months or so, there has been little to no mention of the whole Global Warming/Climate Change/"CO2 is gonna Kill the Planet" meme? 

I mean, we now have people sitting in their cars, lines of them ,miles long, just sitting in their cars, idling for HOURS and yet that is acceptable. We have delivery drivers delivering meals and grocery orders in cities...where people were once told to walk in order to get their food...

Now burning all that gasoline is somehow acceptable....why now? Why was it unaccptable during the Obama years and for most of the Trump administration? Have we, perhaps, simply spent too much time and graft money on it? Rmember the "Green New Deal"? All of a sudden, it appears to be dead....Much like the Solyndra debacle...

"all legally cast ballots"

 

So the stament has been made...."We have counted all Legitimately cast ballots three times and thre has been no significant change" 

But the question is...how do we know all those ballots that exist were legally cast? Were legitmate ballots? 

Once the ballots that were of doubtful provenance (Those Mail-In ballots that arrived late, those that were admitted with no postmark, those that had no signature or those where the signature was not legible or those where the state simply didn't bother to verify the signatures at all)...once those ballots are placed in the mix...once they have been intermingled with the other ballots...the "legitimate" ones...how do you separate the suspect ballots back out? So far, as far as I can tell, those ballots are still counted as "Legitimate" even if they are of suspect origin...

Once you toss illegitimate (or at least unverified or suspect illegitimate) ballots in the pile, then all ballots become suspect....therefore there can be no way to determine which were "Legally Cast Ballots" and which were not..

Chuck Yeager has passed.

 General Chuck Yeager has passed at 97.

The US has lost a hero and a great man. 

Here's an interesting Covid fact:

 Just now, what with the "surge" in cases and hospitalizations and suchlike....Just now, has Covid beaten Heart Disease as a cause of death...

Prior to this week, more folks were dying from COPD and Heart Attacks than from Covid. 

Infamy

 Take a moment and say a prayer for those brave men who lost their lives while serving their country on this day so many years ago....and all those other men (and not a few women) in the battles that followed in the war that the attack on Pearl Harbor led to. 

Back in 1941 it took HOURS for the populace to learn of the attack....Today we'd have that knowledge in tens of minutes if not faster. 

But I doubt the anger level would be more, no matter how the news was disseminated. 

By my calculations....

 Since the Media has been telling us that the Hospitals are Rapidly Running Out of Capacity" for over 5 months, they should all be operating at something like 437.8 % of  capacity....

Or else (and I find this hard to believe) that they have been lying to us for a while. 

"Your Papers, Please"

 So, apparently, there ARE plans for forced vacination...or at least if you don't get vaccinated then you cannot move about the country.

Seems that there will be a card issued showing your vaccine status.....and there "May be travel rstrictions"...

Odd, innit, we can't have and ID to vote 'Cause That Might Be Racist... but we CAN have to show proof of vaccination...

Typical Califronica Logic:

 So, in San Francisco, it will soon be illegal to smoke tobacco in your apartment....Because Seconhand Smoke is bad for others. 

Yet, oddly, weed is acceptable.... Apparently, secondhand weed smoke is less bad or something. 

One might think that if one is bad, the the other is also. But not to the children that run the governments in the Golden State. 

Typical California. 

Shitty weather

 Between the holiday, the low ceilings, the ice and snow, the icing conditions and scheduling issues, I have not had alesson in a Multi Engone aircraft in a week. 

And they scheduled my checkride for a week and ahalf from now....

Crunch time. 

AAANNDD....now the Chinese claim it was India that started this.

 First, of course, it was a "Wet Market" that served bats from a location 180+ MILES away from Wuhan that was the origin of the Sars-Covid-19 outbreak....Even though the epicenter of the first outbreak was mere tens of feet from the Wuhan center for weaponized diseases. 

THen, of course, they said it might have been Italy....

Now the Chinese are claiming that the outbreak was first found in India.....after the idea that it first originated in Italy failed to gain any traction....(because it was a lie). 

Despite the (multiple) claimed origins for the disease, it first surfaced in Wuhan,  likely not in the "Wet Market" (that didn't serve bat carcases from mearly 200 miles away).....but that is what they first claimed.....it came from a disease warfare lab that is located on the same block as the Wet Market they pointed to.....

I think that the Chinese are afraid of (and rightly so) repercussions from the rest of the world....so they are pointing to anyone but the Chinese as the source....

But I doubt that (all of)  the rest of the world will buy their lies.....It seems to be a cultural issue with eastern asians (not just the Chinese) to lie to Westerners....and for some reason, many Westernaers keep buying the lies over and over and over....

A legal question:

 So the State governments have (mostly) mandated a mask in all enclosed public spaces. Essentially, one cannot legally do business without a mask in todays society. 

On the horizon: a (relatively) untried set of vaccines for Covid-19...

Now, one is required to possess a drivers license to drive a car on roads,  In many states, one needs a permit to carry a firearm on one's person (despite the protections of the Second Amendment of the Constitution). One cannot do banking nor other fiancial businesswithout proving ones identity with a Government issued Identification Card. Similarly, one must "identify" when asked by a policeman or other law enforcement official (The difinition of "Identify" might mean showing an Id or simply stating your name and DOB..it varies).  There is precedent for the following:

Would it be legal for the States or the Federal Government to require that the citizens of this country be vaccinated for Covid-19 in order to do business or to leave one's home? To buy food or medicine or to mingle with others in public? 

It is, after all, a short step from mandated "Mask Up" in public to "Vaccinate".....

I fully expect someone to try this...

Black Friday

 I'm not a "Hide behind your Mask" sort of guy. 

I do think that the Covid is real, and serious. 

If you wear a mask,  except under protest, that is your choice. 

But if you go out today, and mingle with everyone else to do your Black Friday shopping, in large crowds, you are an idiot. 

Thanksgiving 2020

 Well, this year, compared to most years, has Royally Sucked Ass. Financially, personally and for other reasons, it has been, shall we say, a less than stellar year ( I am sure that I am not alone in this sentiment).

Having said that, I am very thankful for my life. I live in a country where, despite recent developments, I still enjoy a relatively great deal of freedom. I have a country which is, mostly, still under the rule of law, with the protections that our Constitution provides, against both the Government and it's minions, and my fellow citizens. I am thankful for the security and safety that the Military and the Police provide.

I have my home, my possessions, all of which are mine (debt free), and relatively free of the threat of theft or confiscation. 

I am thankful for my friends and family, and their support. 

My life is, actually, pretty good. I'd bet that 75% or more of the people in the world would gladly trade their problems for mine. When one considers the Big Picture, my life is pretty good. 

All in all, while this has been, as I said, a less than stellar year, I am thankful for what I DO have, and that it hasn't been worse. While the next year will entail some changes and some learning in my life, I also have the belief that things will get better. 

I hope that everyone reading this has things for which they can be thankful. 

I still laugh:

The horror:

 I'm seeing lots of video of the surge of travelers at the airports....Those traveling for Thanksgiving. 

Yet, in all the videos, I am NOT seeing much "Social Distancing: in the lines leading up to the folks fondling those travelers screening those passengers. Odd, that. One might think that these lines would be a major place where "Social Distancing" would work best, as tens of thousands of people per hour funnel through this checkpoint, coming from a diverse range of places, interacting with the others, mingling in a line that can last for an hour or more...in close proximity to those strangers....

Perhaps the masking, the Social Distancing is as much Theater as the TSA's "protection"?

I guess it is Covid

 But, at least in my area, you really have to work to get a speeding ticket right now. Unless your speed is egregiously over the limit (like 2X or more what the sign says) then the cops tend to not see you. 

How is it in your area? 

an observation and a question:

 So the Media is showing tens of thousands of people lining up in their cars to get prepackaged food handouts.  Idling in their cars for HOURS, waiting for the handouts. 

Each person appears to pull up to the staging line, where another person loads the prepackaged box of food into the trunk:

I have noticed that the boxes are pre-printed with slogans like "food Bank" or "Helping Hands" or other slogans. I find it interesting that these boxes are not just repurposed or off the shelf boxes, but are printed especially for this food handout....tens of thousands of boxes. One wonders what the lead time is for a purchase of tens of thousands of custom printed boxes?  

These folks are not sitting in junk cars...they are high end automobiles. One might think that if one has the ability to own such a car, that one might have the means to feed their families without handouts. I mean, these cars cost a lot not only to purchase, but for things like insurance and such...

But there they are, sitting in line, each burning gallons of gasoline, (Probably 5 or more while in line) just to get a $50 box of food.....

(Of course, the question comes up also.....Where is the food coming from? Who is paying, not only for the food, but for the labor to package it (in those custom boxes) and for the labor to set up the distribution point and for the labor to move it to the distribution point and put it into the waiting car?)

 

Missing the point:

 Watching the weather and news this morning, (channel 2 Chicago/WBBM-TV) and listening to their advice on Covid....Stay home, don't travel unless necessary, don't do thanksgiving, etc.....followed by their human interest segment where they told the rest of us about the neat things these TV announcers (who are based in and work in Chicago) had seen and found in neighboring states...one showed us the neat stuff she found in a market in Wisconsin, the other a neat decoration he and his wife had found in Michigan,,,

And, remember, for anyone else who travels across the state line, Illinois requires a 14 day quarantine period....I guess this doesn't apply to "journalists" Talking Heads. 

Yet the rest of us should stay home. 

It's different

 And yet, at the same time, pretty much the same.

I'm taking Multi-Engine instruction now...

Flying a twin is like driving a Corvette...when I've been driving a station wagon. 

Make no mistake, I love my Cessna 182. But compared to the Baron that I am getting my multi engine instruction is, it is a dog. 

LOTS more power, which makes for MUCH greater performance. And all that power (and the fact that it is a twin) means that it can kill you in ways that a single engine plane won't.. (Which is what I am learning...not How to Fly ..I (supposedly) already know that...but how to fly a twin engine plane when one engine isn't working). 

It has been a challenge.  

Funny, that:

 So the Media and many Liberals are now deriding those who felt that there was fraud in the 2020 elections...laughing at the claims that the obvious irregularities and statistical anomalies are nothing...that they are simply wishful thinking. 

They claim that not only is there no "evidence" but that there is no way that there could be enough changes made, even if it were possible, to influence the outcome of the election.

Yet these are the same people that spent tens of millions of dollars looking into "Russian" interference in the 2016 election. 

So which is it? A foreign entity could have influenced our election enough to change the outcome, but a domestic entity (the DNC) could not have done the same 4 years later?  

When one turns blue, does any logical thought simply disappear? 

WHY Won't anyone listen to us?

 So driving today, I was listening to WBBM and they had Governor Pritzkers "Covid News Conference"...which is apparently some kind of weekly radio show where he lectures the rest of the citizens of Illinois about what they are doing wrong and how they should just listen to him and do as he says....(As opposed to what he and his family do).

But his main message today was that people Just Don't Believe the severity of this "Covid Crisis".

"The Projections show a massive increase in cases and out Hospitals COULD be overwhelmed"...Gee, where have we heard THAT mantra before? And oddly, it didn't happen 8 or 9 months ago, despite the "Projections" telling us that there were gonna be 7 Million ...no 4 Mill,,,no, 2 Million..no wait, lessee here, 1.2 million...no, wait, 850 Thous...no wait, half a Million, no like maybe something less than that...

And we trashed the economy and basically huddled in our homes for nearly 8 months....and yet we gained nothing. 

So WHY don't the citizens of Illinois believe the Great Governor Pritzker? Maybe because he hasn't been right at any point in this crisis? Maybe because the predictions he used as an excuse to destroy the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in his state were off by several orders of magnitude? Or that the 2 weeks 8 months of "flattening the curve" didn't change anything? Or, it could be because he doesn't make his family follow the rules he thinks everyone else should follow? 

I dunno. 

A thought:

 So Menards (and Home Depot) both were early adopters of the "Mask Mandate"...here where I live in Indiana, months before the state-wide requirements for masks came into effect,,..

But they don't disinfect ANYTHING.

Not carts, not credit card machines, nothing.

The Virus is transmitted via touch and via airborne at a similar rate...

Yet  again, we have the requirement for masks, but nothing else. Much like in a restaurant, or a bar, where one is dangerous when walking to and from the table (or the bathroom) but not when eating or drinking.....

The local grocery stores, all of them, including Wal-Mart, DO at least make the attempt to sanitize the carts and other common touch surfaces. 

Much like the TSA, it is all Theater. 

I gotta say it

 While there is a great deal of evidence that there was voter fraud that took place in Pennsylvania, Michigan, possibly Wisconsin and Georgia, (lots of INDIRECT evidence)  I have not seen any DIRECT evidence. 

I have no doubt that the lots of "found" ballots ( those tranches of ballots that that came in well after the deadline and oddly, in strange ways) that were overwhelmingly for Biden (to the point of statistical impossibility) were manufactured and illegal votes. Similarly the "late" votes and the ones with illegible (or no) postmarks that were allowed contrary to election law that were also, oddly overwhelmingly statistically unlikely for Biden that should not have been counted...Not to mention the mail-in ballots that had either missing  or non matching signatures that also were allowed...and again, were overwhelmingly for Mr. Biden.  

Having said that, despite the words of Donald the Trump and his henchman Giuliani stating otherwise, I have not seen (at least so far) any court cases nor evidence that would force a recount. It is getting a bit late if they truly have the evidence they claim that they can take to the courts. If they got some, it is time to ante up. We have heard a lot of words, but seen no action. 

If they don't do so soon, then I feel that the election is lost. 

So...a question:

 If (and it is an "IF") masks in public really work effectively to prevent the spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus...

And since in nearly every state, there has been rigorous enforcement of mask wearing inside buildings and such....even if that compliance is gained by FORCING the businesses to comply (Except, of course while eating or drinking...because for some reason breathing while eating in a restaurant doesn't spread Corona....nor does breathing while drinking at a bar...? But walking in and out or gto the restroom does.....?)

Then why do we have this sudden spike in cases (but, oddly, not an equivalent surge in hospitalizations nor deaths) if masks really are effective? 

I mean, really, does anyone believe ANYTHING the so-called "authorities" are telling us? 

I certainly don't. 

ETA: Have you been getting the stats on your local news? We get them here for three states (used to be only two until Wisconsin got high enough that they could use those numbers to gin-up fear) Anyway, if you look at the raw data that the TV folks present, it looks like a 0.03% death rate....pretty much what it has been since we started our "2 weeks to "flatten the curve"" ....8 months ago... And they give this data them tell us that they had a record number of tests performed...but then exclaim that the "Number of cases is rising!!!).  And apparently people buy it...

This tells much about the ability of our populace to either look at statistics and interpret the data and/or the state of our education system that supposedly taught them to count....much less critical thinking skills...

Is our health care system run by total idiots?

 Or is the Media hyping a line of bullshit?

I mean, first we had the incredible overreaction by the States healthcare system back in February, March and April....Things like the Javits Center in NY and McCormack place in Chicago...huge mobilizations that ended up caring for tens of patients. Tens.

We heard stories of health care workers being put in danger because there were incredible shortages of PPE and trained personnel (But, Heroes that they were, they soldiered on.....making Tik-Tok videos, of course)

Now, 7 months later, we are hearing the same stories...Hospitals are about to become overwhelmed, and there are, again, Dangerously low levels of PPE for those heroic health care workers....

Look: It isn't like this "surge" in cases is a surprise. At least not to anyone with more than 3 synapses that are firing. 

And the "shortage" of PPE? You'd think that these folks who run the hospitals could foresee and stock for a continued need for PPE...if nothing else they should have learned from the debacle 7 or 8 months earlier and planned ahead

Oddly, there has been no shortage of Hospital type masks available in the retail market...nor gloves. But the hospitals can't find enough to stock accordingly?

So, either someone is incompetent, at many levels, or the Media is lying. 

Sadly, either is possible. 

Blogger help bleg

 For some reason, I cannot "save" additions to my bloglist......nor can I edit it to remove other blogs from the bloglist. 

Since Blogger has screwed up other things, I am not sure if I am doing something incorrectly or if it is just another thing that Blogger has FUBARRED.

Anyone else having issues editing bloglists? 

Oughta put the brakes on real quick-like:

 Seems that Florida Governor DeSantis has put forth a bill allowing people that own businesses and homes to shoot rioters and looters once they enter the property illegally. 

I figure that this would definitely out a dent into the amount of looting and burning the next time there is a "Mostly Peaceful" protest. 

My Grandfather used to say that if the rabbits or deer were ravaging the garden, if you shot one and left the carcass lay, the others would find another place to go for food. I'm not sure rabbits or deer are smart enough to recognize the danger, but human looters probably are. 

YMMV

A thought:

 "When Injustice becomes Law

Resistance becomes Duty"

Thomas Jefferson

I gotta ask you all....We KNOW (despite denials from the Left Leaning folks, even those that are as intelligent as we are or anyone with two synapses to rub together, for that matter and know they are lying and that we know they are lying as well) that there was some level of left-leaning Anti Trump voter fraud. How much, I am not sure. Enough to throw the election? Maybe. Again, not knowing the levels of true fraud I simply cannot say. 

But here is the thing:

What are we gonna do about it? Are we gonna arm up and shoot someone? Who might that be? What is your target?  What are we gonna do? How are we gonna fix this? Is it worth a civil war? 

 I, personally, believe that anyone who commits (or allows to be committed) voter fraud should be treated as a traitor to the country, and should be tried in a fair trial and hung by the neck immediately after (assuming a guilty verdict) the trial. But how many people we gonna string up? How much do you have the stomach for? How much blood are YOU, personally, willing to spill to restore our Republic? 

Think about it. What, exactly, are you willing to countenance? 

How many people are you gonna jail, or hang? How much "Revolution" are you willing to do? How far are you willing to tear apart this country? 

How much "Resistance"? 

Thank you Veterans

 Today is Veterans Day.

Say "Thank You" to all the vets you know.

I will.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your service, peace or war.

'Tis interesting:

 The "News" keeps using words like "Baseless" and "Unfounded" and "Incorrect" when discussing the issues Trump is claiming regarding the election.

This is as blatant as their claim that Biden is the "President-Elect".

They have no evidence one way or another as to whether the elections were fraudulent or not (although there are enough "irregularities" that if they were fair they'd be interested in an investigation) 

The veneer of impartiality is only molecules thick now. 

Odd timing

 I find it odd that Pfizer announce a vaccine ("90% Effective!" ) shortly AFTER the election. 

Interesting timing, that.

Draw your own conclusions. 

Not just a belt

 I have a feeling this is gonna get expensive...

So two weekends ago, my plane tossed it's alternator belt while I was flying...

Not a big deal, I shut off all but one radio, the transponder, and the beacon and, since I was already heading for home, it was a non-event. 

Of course, I didn't know why I had no alternator until I got on the ground, but investigation showed that the belt had left the pulleys.

While the belt wasn't worn, nor did it appear damaged, it was old, and since inspection of the drive pulley and the alternator showed no other issues (the alternator spins easily and the bracket appears to be fine) my mechanic wanted to replace the belt as a fix (I wasn't so sure...Belts don't just fall off the pulley for no reason), so we ordered one and when it came in, installed the new belt. I test flew it for an hour, and it seemed fine. 

Aaannd on Monday, I took the 182 out, fired it up, taxiied to the end of the active runway, (charging system working fine) did the runup....And when I came to the line on the checklist that says "Engine instruments and ammeter"...guess what? 

So back to the barn and upon inspection, sure enough, the belt was off the pulley and inside out. 

I got a feeling this is gonna get expensive. 

Strange dichotomy:

 SO for the past 4 or so years, we have been told that there was "Russian" interference and tons of voter fraud in the 2016 election. 

Yet now we are told that there is no, absolutely zero, chance of any possibility that there was any fraud in the swing-state election process.

Odd, that. 

Of course, when the Media's entire mission is getting Joe Biden elected over Donald Trump, then the standards change. 

Funny strange, isn't it?

 SO all the Biden supporters are gathering in larger cities...parks and such, to celebrate the Biden "Win" (so far only the Media has called it, but hey, if you tell a lie often enough and loudly enough...).

And nearly NONE of those folks gathering in large crowds, much closer than 6 feet apart, holding hands and dancing and cheering and all of that sort of celebratory stuff...are wearing a mask. 

I don't hear the media chanting "SuperSpreader!!!"(eleventy!) or any of the other epithets they used for Trump rallies. (Much like they never said anything about the (Mostly Peaceful) BLM rallies either).

I guess now that Slow Joe (the Man with a Plan) is coming to power (at least the kids celebrating think so, and so does the Media...Me, I will wait and see) there is no reason to worry about catching the CoronaVirus....

Asking for a friend

 Does anyone know where I can find a black leather, IWB, right hand crossdraw holster for a full size 1911 with a thumb break designed for cocked and locked carry? 

I can't seem to find that combination. 

Or if you can recommend a holster maker that does good custom work without astronomical pricing? 

Isn't it interesting

 That no one..not the media, not the police departments, not anyone...expects riots (along with fires, shootings and looting) from the Republican folks now that the Media has called the election for Biden? 

IF it had gone the other way, then all those boarded up windows and doors on the ground floor of most cities would have been a great idea. As it is, it has been unneeded as those of us that are Deplorable, Bitter Clingers are law abiding....

Out of Jeopardy

 Seems that Alex Trebek of Jeopardy! fame has passed after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. 

A broken stool

 Look: If Joe Biden had won, even narrowly, with no issues...I'd be disappointed, but would have dealt with it.

Our country survived EIGHT years of Barry Obama, and we will survive 4 years of Slow Joe....Or 3.75 years of Kamala Harris when Slow Joe is declared incompetent and she takes over in early 2021....).

But here is the thing:

Our country was different than other countries...we had three things going for us that made the USA different...better...than other countries.

1. We had a Constitution that protected us from our government, and enumerated rights that we have....inalienable rights that were sacrosanct. (So far, we still have those)

2. We had a Democratic Republic, with freely (and honestly) elected representatives. We no longer have that.

3. We had a peaceful transition of power from one president and one congress to another.(I'm not sure we will have that for reasons I will explain in a moment).

Our Constitution is still there...mostly

Our votes, our election, however, are no longer believably honest, nor is our election free from fraud. 

We may not have a peaceful transition of power, as the incoming President-elect is, for all purposes, illegitimate, not truthfully legally elected. 

A stool or a chair with one leg missing is useless. We no longer can trust the legitimacy of our elections. Our votes count for less today. Our rights as citizens to elect our leaders have been trashed...negated....thrown away in the quest for power.  

Those who facilitated this fraud are enemies of the State...traitors to the Republic. 

It matters not whether the result of the ballot counts is overturned by the courts at this point...the damage to our nation's election integrity is done. 

This is more than just a Presidential election. This is the destruction of the integrity of our country...and the promise to it's citizens. 

I don't know if Joe Biden would have won without the fraud...and we will never know. Had the Fraud not manifested, I would have been able to support him as President. Now, however, his Presidency will be forever tainted. The American People, and Mr. Biden himself, will always wonder, always remember him as the illegitimate President.

If I were Donald J. Trump, I think I would fight this to the end. In the courts, and possibly elsewhere. He knows, as do you and I, that this election debacle is cheating...Fraud on an industrial scale. 

In the end, those with a lust for power, those who fraudulently "Found" votes, who allowed votes, hundreds of thousands of votes... to be counted when they were so obviously fraudulent, will have done more than just engineered a coup....they (along with a willing Press) will have damaged our country permanently....Because they will have undermined the sanctity of our elections, and destroyed one of the three pillars that made the USA different....and better....than any country elsewhere in the world. 

That stool is useless now...it is missing one of it's legs. Fit only for firewood. It matters not how this turns out...our country is broken.

And we, as a people, stood by and let then get away with doing that. 

Truth:

 It was true in 2000

And it is true today:

As it is, they'll just keep "Finding" votes until they steal the election.

Look: If Biden won fair and square, I'd be disappointed...but I'd deal with it. But "Finding" votes this late is bullshit. 

How many more will they "Find"? 

Jesus...they've tossed all appearances of credibility and impartiality aside

 The Media (NBC, ABC, and CBS) have spent the last 15 minutes telling me that Trump is wrong about all of his claims, that the ballots take time to count, that the "Found" ballots in PA and AZ and NC are all valid (Because REASONS) and that the fact that some were delivered without postmarks was just a mistake on the part of the USPS but they still need to be counted....Plus the unverified "Provisional" ballots that are counting an improbably high percentage for Slow Joe...And it is taking so long because there are lots of votes......Despite the fact that in Red areas, ALL the votes have been counted long ago. 

And the message that "We need to all just accept the results without issues"....and that the President has "Falsely Claimed" that he won...and "Incorrectly" claimed FRAUD. 

They are blatantly in the Tank for Biden, and are trying to convince the rest of us...and their delivery shows that even they don't believe it.

It's like watching "Bagdad Bob" tell us how the "Shock and Awe" and the invasion was going badly for the US and allies even as American tanks appeared behind him in his broadcasts. 

I think they are preparing the battlefield so there will be doubt when they announce that Biden has won.....hook or crook. I would expect that they will make their announcements on a Sunday afternoon....

I think they are counting on election news exhaustion to keep people's reaction down. 

I know there has been no malfeasance because the Media has told me so. 

Democracy will die this week because we allow it. 

We are out of Boxes (I can't agree with his verbage, but I can agree with his conclusion)

I'm hating the thought that the above article brings....but I don't see what else we have. 

I gotta say I am unsure what to think or do here. If we do nothing, we fail not only our fellow citizens, but the folks who created this country and gave us what we have (or had until last Tuesday). If we do Do Something, then we destroy our country. I never thought I would even have to consider what I am now thinking. I always thought the enemies would be "foreign", not domestic. 

No good options here. 

I thought he was joking

 But he wasn't.

So there I am at the hotel where I was staying, having gotten dressed and imbibing a cup of generic hotel coffee and standing outside having the first smoke of the day.

(I was in because I had to advise an attorney on a deposition in a lawsuit, and the deposition was like 2.5 hours from home, and I didn't wanna leave home at 5 AM... to be ready at 8 AM)

Anyway, some other dude wanders up and I say "Good morning"

He looks me straight in the eye and says "you need to calm the fuck down there, partner". He was serious, I think. 

I just shut up. Didn't wanna start the day with an issue. I had too much on my plate. 

I mean, I'm not generally a morning person, but damn. 

Y'know

 One could not find a novel or other fictional story wherein the author could sell the idea that the populace (or half of it, anyway) would accept an election such as we have seen in the last few days.

Not in the United States, anyway.

This is something one would expect of a Banana Republic, where General Odious gets 99.47% of the vote to be reelected as Premier...and the population has no choice to accept it. 

One wonders

 If the delay in counting votes (and the subsequent delay in calling a state (or the election) for Biden) is just to give folks like me time to cool off and relax enough that we won't revolt when the election is called. 

Isn't it ODD?

 The only states where (significant numbers of) Absentee/Early votes are being "found" are those where the race hangs in the balance? 

Michigan

Wisconsin

Pennsylvania

and AZ.

(There are rumors of GA, but nothing substantiated...yet)

Funny how that works, innit?

I am not wanting a revolution-like war....people DIE in a war....but this is looking more and more like a reason to have one. 

I'm not so sure I can stand by this time.

Seriously. 

"The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything"

Joseph Stalin

Watch the Stock Markets

 If they go up then they expect the Presidential race to go to Trump.

If they go DOWN, then they expect the race to go to Biden.

And there is a LOT of money being spent to predict this outcome, as there is a LOT of wampum to be found in profit or losses. 

"The Counts Continue to Change

 As Absentee ballots and late arriving Mail In Ballots are counted".

I wonder how many additional votes will be "found" or "Arrive Late" as the counts show one side or the other is winning? 

Not even pretending

 To be unbiased nor impartial.

I'm watching CBS for election coverage (Not that there is much else on anyway).

Norah Odonnel and Gail King are the anchors...and they and their other commentators are unabashedly Pro-Biden....It's almost like they are electioneering  for the DNC types...

ETA: They keep bringing up the "Power of Women" and especially "College educated Women" and "White Women" and how they influence the vote....(and they claim that these women even influence the  vote of their men) and how they have changed the election....I dunno.

ETA II: Jesus Christ...Valerie Jarett is a hag. One might think that she would have tried to look better. She looks like a SNL caricature.

Seen on a car bumper in the Precinct parking lot:

 "Vote Blue/No matter who".

(She drove out before I could get a photo with my phone)

And that, folks, is why we have people vote for folks like Biden.

I remember a woman who worked for me, may years ago. A lady who had lived and grown up in the South Side of Chicago...where nearly everyone votes Democrat.

She was a product of her generation.....and when the DNC pushed this young black man as their candidate, she hesitated....and her upbringing and life experiences had made her ....untrustful...of black people.

Yet her she was, presented with a BLUE candidate....for President.....who was black....but he had a "D" after his name....She was conflicted. 

I explained to her that I felt that there were many reasons not to vote for Barry Obama.....but the color of his skin didn't even enter the equations....and it shouldn't be a part of her decisionmaking process. 

I think she ended up voting for him, not because she believed in his message, but because he was a "Blue" candidate. 

Likewise if you voted for Donald Trump just because he had an R after his name...

A large turnout so far:

 So I can see the entrance to the polling place from my home, if I use a decent telescope.

There was a line out the door at 6 AM when the polls opened.

There was still a line at 7 AM.

The line wasn't out the door at 8 AM, so I went down to do my Civic Duty and exercise my Right to Vote.

The line to vote INSIDE the building was over 75 people. The line did move fairly quickly, and there were adequate voting stations set up....the system was well organized and the flow was steady.

I entered the door at 8:12 and exited, having voted, at 8:31. 

The election workers said that this was the busiest that they had seen, surpassing the turnout 4 years ago. It remains to be seen as to whether the rest of the day looks the same.

(I may have been wrong about the turnout for early voting)

If you haven't voted, PLEASE, go vote. (even if you vote for the "wrong" folks. Just vote. Help decide the fate of, and the direction of, our country for the next 4 years. I would ask that you choose wisely, and with forethought....But vote. It does make a difference. 

"Record Early Voting"

 So some statistics quoted by the News Media say that nearly 45% of the registered voters have voted early, either in-person or by mail.

I find this to be somewhat suspect, since even last election which had "record voting" did not exceed 80% of registered voters. (Except in some Blue precincts where the number of voters exceeded the number of registered voters by as much as 40%).

IF the stories are true, then this will either be another record, or there has been a great deal of fraud.

Sadly, I'm not sure which to expect. 

It is said that a million votes, in the right places, can swing this election. How many "late" mail-in votes will arrive post election day? In some places being 10 or more days late or not being signed (or having a matching signature) is not a disqualification.... 

It was the Blue (Democrat) politicians that pushed for extremely early votes and for increased Vote-By-Mail. 

Draw your own conclusions.

Me, I am afraid that Trump will not be able to win over the Margin of Fraud. 

Heh

 

Seen nestled on the roadside amongst a whole shitload of other election signs:

I guess that someone has plans for the future.

Sadly, If "Biden/Harris" wins, this might come true. 

"Health Care is a RIGHT, not a privilege"

 Have you ever noticed that people who say that are good with the idea as long as someone else pays the bill?

It is, of course, a cornerstone of Socialist thinking, but I just thought I'd point that out. 

Late breaking voting rule changes:

 Voting day is Tuesday, the 3rd. 

I have, however, been given some special, late breaking, news:

However, the National Voting Board has made a special dispensation for Democrat and Liberal voters.

If you hold your in-person vote until Wed, the 4th, it counts double for the Presidential ballot. 

While this has not yet been verified, I am reporting it so DNC types can use it for their advantage. 

Please, pass this exciting news to all your Liberal and Democrat friends. 

The Leftists are expecting riots

 So if the Leftist Mayor of Chicago is expecting riots, then one might think that the rest of us should be expecting them as well, wouldn't you think?

I mean, at the end of it all, It is possible that they are overly afraid that there will be riots like has happened TWICE already this year, and are just (for once) preparing for the worst (The city's businesspeople are NOT gonna let her get away with failing to protect the downtown area again, you can bet on that...) But since the Coty is planning on riots, I am gonna plan for Riots to happen as well. And if it is gonna happen in Chicago, a pretty Leftist areas, then I expect it to happen in most other Blue cities as well. 

Seems that a LOT of Chicago businesses (at least the downtown ones, anyway) are planning on riots...boarding up and hiring security. I do know a small jewelry store near downtown is planning on closing early Monday and has made plans for the entire inventory to be elsewhere for a few days to a week. They can't afford to be looted a third time. 

One way to look at things is that if the Leftist leaders are planning on Riots, then one might think that they expect Trump to win, and are planning for the Chaos that that will engender from the more radical of their members...

well, fuck

Sean Connery has passed.  

His characters were my heroes, even if they were just characters. And he played 'em so well. 

Redefining:

 So what with the election all close and shit, we are getting BOMBARDED by political ads from the city of Chicago and its environs. 

The new buzzword in the attack ads is "Extreme".  (which might be effective if nearly every ad didn't use it)..

A candidate is "Extreme" if he or she doesn't want things like free shit, health care, abortion, etc. 

They are "Extreme" if they don't want all the liberal goals....if they want normal conservative things.. law and order, not having the government pay for everything, if they think that people have choices, and their choices should have consequences...

In other words, anything that doesn't go along with the Liberal Agenda is "Extreme"...even if that "Extreme" view was the nor  as little as 10 years ago.

I never realized how "Extreme" I was.....

Chutzpah

 SO it seems that Kenneth Walker is being sued for "Causing Emotional Distress"....by Louisville Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly....one of the officers who was involved in the ill fated no knock raid that ended up in the death of Breonna Taylor. 

Now, forget the controversy around Ms Taylor's innocence or guilt (remember, she hadn't been charged with anything, much less had a trial, so her innocence or guilt had not yet been established)...forget about the fact that this no-knock raid was unnecessary, be she innocent or guilty...

Here is a cop, who was all tac-ed up, ready for a gunfight, executing a no knock raid, who had ONE shot fired from the apartment, suing for "Emotional Distress". 

"If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen". This lawsuit should be tossed. Getting shot at is a possibility when a cop goes on a raid...especially a no knock raid. That's why they wear armor. When one of the sheep fights back, thinking his home is being invaded (Hint: It WAS being invaded, only the invaders were COPS) and a cop gets shot, well, that is part of the possibility of what might happen on this sort of job. This isn't walking a beat, this is INVADING someone's home.  

I hope this suit gets tossed out. Even more, I hope that Mr. Walker Mattingly gets sued for court costs. 

I'm all about supporting our police, but at some point, we gotta say "enough". Now is that time. 

cognitive dissonance in reporting:

 So lessee here:

Trump is doing and has done everything wrong coronavirus wise....Hospitals are full to overflowing (or MIGHT be soon, anyway) there is a SURGE in cases across the country and this is entirely the fault of Donald J. Trump.

Next story: Coronavirus cases SURGE across europe and parts of Asia, despite these countries taking proper steps to corral and contain the virus. 

Who knew Trump could affect the rest of the world as much as he affects the United States, coronavirus wise? 

Look, newsie folks, I get that you dislike (if that is not too weak of a word) The Donald....But c'mon man, get a grip on rationality. 

A parody

 But a LOT of truth here:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3UvavR4AhLk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And since Blogger doesn't embed about half the time, a link to the video:

An Honest Ad From Your Democratic Party Spokesperson

Campaign ad questions:

 Why do the Democrats (and Liberals) hide the term "Abortion" with the phrase "A woman's Right to Choose" and "Women's health care choices"

Look: I am nether for nor against abortion. Not taking a stand either way here.

But call it what it is, stop hiding it with code words. 

Yes, I know it is too much to expect liberals to be honest, but still....

More looting in protest

 So a cop in Philadelphia killed a man with more melanin than the cop...

So the people in Philadelphia rioted and, of course, looted stores in their neighborhood.

'Cause nothing shows your thirst for Justice like looting the neighborhood Family Dollar store, Amirite? 

Especially if it will give you a reason to complain later about "No one wants to invest in "Minority Neighborhoods"..."

And they keep the "Sky is falling!!!" meme going

 Have you noticed that although the number of deaths from Covid is not rising, the media keeps pushing the "hospitals are overwhelmed" story? 

The latest I have seen is "hospitals may soon need to ration care"...."MAY" being the operative word. we've heard it for the past two weeks, but they keep repeating it....That is the story we heard last time too, when they were pushing the fears of 2.2 million deaths...back when they said we needed to shelter in place for two weeks to "Flatten the Curve"....back in March. 

I think that this is another attempt to scare us and keep people afraid.....

But what is the end game? What do they get at this point? The election is essentially decided by now. Few people have not made their choice....if there is gonna be fraud, it is already in place. It can't be the election, I don't think

Why keep ratcheting up the fear? 

One week deadline:

 So, just as an exercise....

What items will you need to purchase to keep your life "normal" in the next 3 weeks?

Forget about the following weeks (which may well also be problematic) or the Thanksgiving or Christmas season, or anything beyond the next three weeks. Just think about the week leading up to the election and especially the two weeks beyond that.

Likely, you are stocked up on TP and such, (if not, get shopping!). What I am talking about is things you would normally buy to eat, clean your house, keep your routine (going to work, to other places, church(if that is an option) , etc).....Got enough gasoline? 

If you can buy, and store, either on a shelf or in a fridge or a freezer the foods you would normally buy then I suggest that in the next few days, you do so. If you can buy, and safely store enough gasoline for a week or two of "normal" consumption, then you might be well advised to do so in the week prior to the election.

Medicines? Yeah, same same. Call yer Physician and see if you can get your maintenance medication filled this week. 

Remember, even if it is unlikely that there will be "Civil Unrest" in your immediate neighborhood, your grocery store gets it's supplies via truck from a warehouse...likely in a larger city. So does your pharmacy. So, likely, does your gas station get it's fuel from a tank farm near (or in) a larger urban area. 

It is quite possible that the Urban areas will get some sort of Blue fueled "Civil Unrest" should Donald Trump win the election. We have seen that the police are less than effective when such unrest has happened. 

Let us not forget that in many areas, the final vote count will likely not be known for at least a week past Nov 3rd.  So you gotta plan for a week of uncertainty and at least a week past that for things to flare up and fade out. 

Plan accordingly. 

Aaandd....a blogmeet:

 So Saturday at 8:35 central time, Aaron of the SHEKEL made the call that our blogmeet was a "GO". The weather was good enough for him to fly VFR to the blogmeet and it was good enough for me as well. (I was only worried about icing, really)

So we planned our flights to arrive at KFPK at noon local...Winds were 070 at 8 at departure, and 360 at 5 at KFPK at the time of departure

I left my airport...filed IFR via ADIME then direct. (Keeps me out of South Bend Indiana class C airspace and prevents me overlying KSBN)...I departed at 9:35 local. 

South Bend Clearance gave me 3000 ft initially, 5000 ft in 10 minutes.

I climbed up to 3000 feet. Clouds at departure were 1400 broken, overcast 1900. IF I had not had my Instrument rating, I could not have departed as it was definitely NOT VFR....As I checked in with South Bend Approach, they immediately cleared me for 5000. On the way through the clouds though, I picked up a fair amount of rime ice...more than a trace, but not enough to worry about. Broke out of the clouds at 4700 feet and flew towards my first waypoint at 135 kias..the winds were near calm, so my ground speed was more or less my airspeed. Then ATC asked if I wanted to go KFPK direct, which was great, saving me 10 minutes or so, so I accepted the amended clearance and flew direct. In and out of the clouds until more or less the Michigan state line, then clear above the mostly broken, then scattered, clouds at about 3800 feet. (The ice melted off slowly). Total flight time, including startup, warmup and taxi, was 1.6 hours. The view en-route was AWESOME.

notice the residual ice on the windshield??

At arrival, it was 220 at 9 about 35 miles out. So set up for the rwy 21 approach...when I crossed the numbers it was 010 at 6 so a kinda downwind landing, but not a big deal. I chose not to circle for the opposing runway and accepted the slightly higher landing speed...cause I am just stubborn and the winds were light enough that it wasn't a big deal. I arrived just after Aaron and his friend Tosh while they were still parking their plane. Pulled up, turned and shut down, backed mine in right next to theirs, chocked the wheels, and we unloaded. 

Met everyone: Aaron I knew, shook hands with his friend Tosh, and met ERJ ...and Scott of Providentia and his dad for the first time. We walked into the small airport office and used the facilities and planned our day. We had considered shooting a bit, but the available ranges were busy with either hunters sighting in for the deer season or Hunter Ed classes, so we chose to just have lunch. I did have to bring my rifle along with me (the Non-Ruger 10-22 in it's case) for security as the plane is almost as secure as a high school locker, but it just stayed in the car as we had lunch. 

Lunch was great, a small place called the Eaton Place. good soup, good sandwiches and the Tosh and I had their house made pie....pie was awesome. Did I mention the pie? I mean the pie was AWESOME....I didn't need dinner that evening and likely won't need lunch today, either. I think I ate 10,000 calories, half of which was pie. 

Conversation was great, lots of talk about lots of things. I miss blogmeets like this, as these folks are of my Tribe. 

All too soon, it was time to leave and return to the airport. Bummer. 

Preflighted and started up. Aaron taxiied first, I followed. A short runup and off we went. The wind kept changing, so Aaron had to change runways from a 21 departure to a 03 departure....Since I was at that end of the runway I took off while he was taxiing back to the 03 end from the 21 end. As I turned downwind I heard him call his departure and watched him climb out in the other direction. 

Great Lakes Approach gave me 3000 initially, 4000 (as I had filed) in 10 minutes. Cleared to 4000 feet, it was pretty bumpy so I asked for higher. They gave me 6000, which put me solidly in IFR in the clouds, which sucked as it was just at freezing and, while there was no ice formation, there was a lot of moisture on the plane...so I asked for higher again. Oddly, ATC gave me 7000 (westerly headings get even thousands normally), but I took it, as it got me out of the clouds. Later they amended that to the proper altitude, an even one (gave me the choice of 8 or 10)...I chose 8 which kept me out of the clouds. 

Passed over Kalamazoo at 132 knots (148 TAS, 121 ground speed), then began my descent to my airport just past South Bend.... 5000 feet, then cleared to 3000 feet. 19 minutes later I reported "Airport in sight" and cancelled my IFR flight plan. landed visually, and taxiied to the hangar. Fueled up and put the plane away. 

Over all,  the time going back, with taxi and startup and such, was 1.7. 

This is a 3-1/2+ hour drive, or an hour and a half flight. This is why I bought the plane. 

A great day, really, met some Internet friends in Meatspace, and that is a Good Thing. 

These folks, great people all, are my People.  

I look forward to doing it again soon. 

How I spent my Friday evening

 So there I was, with a bunch of other grumpy old men, listening to the lecturer demonstrate how to put on a CAT tourniquet.

I was taking a "Stop the Bleed" course. 

What with Covid restrictions and all that, we could only accommodate 16 people in the class, but lots was learned that evening. 

It was a good review of the course I took with Ambulance Driver way back when. His course was better, and much more in depth, but I did need the review. 

I urge you to take such a course if you haven't already taken one. 

And if you haven't had a review in a while, you should do one soon. 

I DO have a beautiful set of four matching pressure bruises on each arm and leg, up high though. on each arm and leg I did myself, but the really nice ones were done by the others in the class when they applied the tourniquets to me.  

The videos we saw were pretty graphic, but at least no one squealed like a 6th grade schoolgirl when the blood started flowing. 

Now today, I am hoping to do a blogmeet with some Michigan bloggers. 

One thought on the debate that no one else seems to be talking about:

 Joe talked a LOT about Values...but did not mention what those values were.

I think, for him, those values are not mine.

No rule of law

No Constitution. First amendment only to those who are currently special, the rest of us can just shut up. No Second amendment for anyone.

No true Equality, nor Equal Protection under the law....Minorities and groups deemed special at the moment are forgiven actions that the rest of us will be put in jail for.

Taxes taxes taxes...because the Government knows how to spend your money better than you do.....and redistribution is ok. So is Socialism. 

These are NOT my values. nor, I think, are they the values of most Americans, no matter what our color, culture or race. 

Show this to your liberal friends:

 Biden claimed he never said he wanted to "end" Coal and Oil and Fracking:

Trump called him a liar: "You said it! It's on tape!"

Biden said "Prove it"

Donnie and his team did so, as promised last night in the debate....

Read here. 

Biden lied (or forgot) 

Why is it that they can't tell the truth to most of the country? 

I was unaware that there were two Debates last night:

 Especially TV news, I can only come to one conclusion:

I must have watched the wrong debate.

And it wasn't the one that the Media saw. Couldn't have been. No way.

They saw things that I did not....

Or their bias did not allow them to see things that I missed. Lots of them. Somehow they saw a side of Joe Biden that I missed....

I was unaware that I was watching the wrong debate. 

I will have to pay more attention next election. 

And the people of Illinois are starting to say "NO!"

 Seems that the fat-ass Governor of Illinois has decided that the economy in many downstate counties was recovering too quickly.............

So he decided to close indoor dining and some other activities under the guise of "Spread of Covid" issues....even though there is no evidence that this is a major factor in new infections...

But it would seem that these downstate folks are fighting back, promising not to close, and their governments are stating that they will not enforce the new Edict by the Governor...

We will see how it goes. 

Odd, alcohol after 10 pm can cause covid?

 So in Chicago, the Mayor is implementing "curfews" for bars and restaurants. No alcohol sales after 9 PM, no food after 10 for any business deemed "Non-Essential". 

Why is it that before 9 PM, booze is safe? Or even going to a bar BEFORE 9 PM, but it is bad AFTER? 

Really, I gotta ask what the hell are they thinking? What logic makes this a good idea? 

Or is it Social Conditioning? Or simply a power grab? 

Turning the tables on CBS

 Seems that Donnie did an interview with CBS's "60 minutes". 

And he turned the tables on them, as he released an "unedited" copy. 

CBS is PISSED. Not able to edit and slant the questions and Donnie's answers. 

Anyone who is interviewed by any current "news" agency should record it for their own protection. 

An attempt to remain relevant

 The FBI has given a press conference telling us that they are ever vigilant and that they had "some information" about Iran and (possibly) Russia maybe sending some sort of "intimidating" emails to people....

Somehow, someone may have accessed voter information . No one said how, or who,  or what voter databases had been accesses...and what information they had that wasn't already publicly available data. 

But they told us to be assured that the FBI is ON THE JOB. 

(no statement on the fact that they had knowledge that the entire "Russian Interference" meme was bullshit, and they knew it, nor that they had knowledge of Hunter Biden's activities via the emails (and photos) on the Hard Drive that has recently surfaced via Giuliani and the Post...and that they sat on it for nearly a year)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s0Jq-IL2NA

(Start at 8:30)...for some reason it won't embed

So....less than two weeks left:

13 days. 

"Beat the rush, panic early."

If I were you, I'd go shopping. While there may not be the selection in the stores you might like, I'd go purchase some food and water, especially if one lives on a "Blue" city (or, for that matter, any city). 

Plan for some "civil unrest". After all, we are likely to not have "election DAY" but rather "Election WEEK". as mail in ballots that arrive after election day are counted as much as 5 days after. It may be that we have no clear president for as much as a week. 

I fully expect the Left to become violent....followed possibly by folks on the Right deciding they ahve had enough and taking action to quell it. 

Food, water, fuel. (Ammo is pretty much nonexistent unless one is lucky, or is willing to pay 5 times for it). Buy it and store it...it might be that the wise move is to stay home for a week or more. 

Don't forget the pet food either!

If you don't already have it, try to get a 2 (or more) week supply of your maintenance medicine....just to be sure you have some if you can't get it. 

Kinda hard to believe them anymore

 So the evening "News" is telling us that "Hospitals are overwhelmed" ((again), even though they weren't overwhelmed last time) by the new "Surge" in Coronavirus cases. 

Maybe this time they are telling us the truth. Last time, there were very few hospitals that were "overwhelmed".

Much like the little boy that cried WOLF!, the media has lied time and time again, and I find it hard to give any credence to the warnings of doom this time.

The statistics are structured to frighten without giving a real, honest assessment. They tell us the total overall number of cases (since March, in most cases) and tell us the number of new cases without telling us how many of those new cases are symptomatic, how many are hospitalized....And they trumpet the number of deaths...but they make it difficult to find out any usable information....They don't tell us what percentage of tests show a positive, for instance....

When people or organizations use statistics to frighten, rather than inform, I become suspicious. 

I laughed and laughed

 Via Kenny:

Equal protection under the law

 So didn't Paul Manafort get convicted of failing to register as a "Foreign Agent"? 

Why aren't they going after Hunter Biden for the same thing? 

Just asking....for a friend

Like a Covid death prediction

 The forecast for the winds was less than on-target..

Highest wind was 38 knots...more or less 44 miles per hour.

Most wind gusts were much less.

Power only flickered once, and that was for less than 30 seconds as the automatics isolated the short. 

All prepped up (not really) and nowhere to go....

ETA: If they can't predict the weather 12 hours in advance, what makes them think they can predict Climate 50 years into the future? 

I can't believe that people pay money for them

 So I had to have some warranty work done on the Truck.

The Dodge dealer gave me a brand new Jeep Renegade to drive. 

What a shitbox.

The transmission never stops shifting, the dash looks like it was laid out by a 4th grader, and the controls feel cheap.

The acceleration is mediocre at best, the engine sounds like a sewing machine eating gravel while tripping on meth, and the handling is almost as good as my Kubota tractor.  The Fiat 124 was a better car 50 years ago.

I cannot believe, as competitive as the small car market is that Jeep sells these things. For $22k, one can buy a LOT of small car from Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Kia, even Ford and Chevy and Subaru. None of them are luxury cars, but at least they are decently engineered. 

On the bright side, the outward vision from the Renegade was decent...and the turn signals worked. 

oughta be fun today:

 50 MPH wind gusts forecast. 

I expect to lose power....for how long I dunno. 

Getting the laundry done early, and planning on losing both power and internet for a while. 

If need be, I can fire up the generator, but as it isn't cold enough to need heat, I might not bother, 

No flying today though. 

Of COURSE its "Disinformation"

 So the media is now floating the theory that the Biden Emails (see below posts) are "disinformation" from "Russia" via the Ukraine via Rudy Giuliani 

Odd how the Ukraine (which is where Hunter Biden was "employed" by Burisma for his father's influence during the Obama Administration) has so much power, so many "Operatives" that can control so much influence over the American People and their choice for President, innit? 

Nice attempt to discredit. Nice deflection too. 

Are the emails legit? I dunno. They do fit the theory that has been floating around for a year or more, and it does seem odd that Burisma would hire Hunter Biden for his (nonexistent) "Expertise"...(not to mention the CHinese, but that is another story) ......I mean, they were paying his some serious coin to do........??

So...the story now is:

 That someone hacked emails from Hunter Biden and "inserted" the "fake" emails in question into the file...

Then put them on a hard drive of a computer that was then taken to the repair shop and left for 90 days...all done months ago so that the data could be released right now. Linking the emails to Biden and making the release "clean". 

Spin, spin, spin. and yet more spin. 

If we could hook a generator to this story we could power Manhattan. 

So...a question:

 It is reported that there is an email chain that links Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Burisma, and other figures "arranging" for Joe to "meet" with officials that could influence (eliminate by threatening the dispersal of US aid) the corruption charges against Burisma....

Supposedly gotten off a laptop brought in for repair...and left, never to be picked up.

Whose content was subsequently copied by the shop owner, who then also contacted the FBI...who confiscated the laptop.

Now, this all happened about the time of Trump's corruption charges and subsequent investigation....

And yet the FBI withheld this evidence and remained silent.  Odd, that, innit?

Forget the millions of Taxpayer dollars spent investigating the bogus claims, TH FBI KNEW THAT THEY WERE BOGUS AND HID EVIDENCE AND REMAINED SILENT. 

Think about that. Again, proof that the FBI wants Trump gone. That the FBI conspired to get rid of him.