Plenty of Reasons

 Early in November, the nation was gripped by the drama coming out of Moscow, ID, where four students were killed in their beds.  The nation wants answers, and the parents want closure, and I understand all that.

Megan Fox looks at four reasons why the police have not publicly named a suspect or made an arrest.  

1) The crime scene is amazingly complex.  I have spent hours doing crime scene for a single murder in a fairly pristine crime scene.  I cannot imagine what a four-murder scene would be like to work.

2) Small town police departments don't often see this type of crime.  This isn't a criticism of the police in Moscow, but the simple fact is that they don't work this type of crime very often.  They know the theory, but putting it into practice takes experience.  They want to get it right, so they called in help, from the Idaho State Police and the FBI.  This is common practice.

3) Thanksgiving happened.  Moscow is a small, college town.  Many students left town after the murders, and the Thanksgiving break put many more out of town.  Investigation like this need basic, shoe-leather work.  Knocking on doors, taking statements, interviewing people.  When everyone leaves town, it gets more complex and slows everything down.

4) Don't let the killer know what the police know.  You don't want to publish a profile or release a name until you have the suspect in cuffs.  Save it for the arrest warrant. The last thing the investigators want now is more publicity.  There will be plenty of time for that later.

 “For the sake of the families who just lost four beloved children on the cusp of their adult lives, this is a developing story that should be handled with extreme care. Already, just nineteen days into the investigation, the parents are starting to question the forthrightness of the police and their emotions are raw going into the first holiday season without their children. It would be helpful for them if the true crime die-hards didn’t fan the flames of upset for clicks and views. I’ve spent the day going over the facts of this case and to me, it’s looking like very good police work in a very difficult situation.”

They are going to catch this guy.  It's just a matter of time.  I once worked a murder that took 22months between the deed and the arrest, then another year before the conviction.  We all have to be patient.

That's Brazen

 First, they steal a car, then use it to crash into a gun shop to steal guns.  That is fairly brazen.  From the local TV station.

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Alexandria Police detectives are investigating the burglary of a gun shop on Jackson Street that happened early Tuesday morning after a vehicle crashed into the building.

Around 6:50 a.m., APD arrived at The Gun Shop on Jackson Street in reference to a vehicle crashing into the building. The vehicle was identified as a 2017 Infinity Q80 SUV, previously reported as stolen. The suspect drove the vehicle into the business and went inside, stealing several firearms from The Gun Shop.

The woman who owns that shop is an acquaintance, and I bet she is livid.  I know that she had crash posts in front of her shop, and I'm trying to figure out where they crashed the building.  I'll bet that she is about to spend more money on crash barriers.

Boudin

 Boudin is a south Louisiana thing, a meal in a casing.   Normally a rice mixture, the meat inside can be pork, or beef, or poultry.  Even seafood.  But, normally pork.

Belle sent me to thr grocers this morning.  She wants to make brisket poboys later today and I was sent to get ingredients.  On the way home I had "a craving flung on me", so I stopped at Guillory's Specialty Meats for a bit of boudin. Guillory makes a solid, workman-like boudin.  Not the best I've ever tasted, but certainly a nice boudin.  And, it's just on the way home.

I like to put my boudin on a cookie sheet, or a black iron skillet and run it under the broiler for a few minutes.  Turn it over and run it back under the heat.  This crisps the casing, and it will snap when you bite it.

This works as an appetizer.  Belle had a link or two, I had a link or two, and I suspect that the pup got a taste as well.   We'll make poboys later, but in the meantime, it's boudin as a late breakfast.

Lame Ducks

Joe knows that he doesn't have the votes in the lame duck session between bow and January to enact any sweeping legislation, but that is not keeping the left from fantasizing about it.

Rp Jim Clyburn (D-SC) has determined that legal gun purchases are racist.  More specifically, they conflate with slavery. It's a ridiculous argument coming from a ridiculous man. I don't know what the people of South Carolina were thinking when they elected this buffoon.

Tucker: It's hard to believe this is real

Speaker

 Who is going to be the House Speaker?  Kevin McCarthy is the House minority leader, but that doesn't mean that he has the 218 votes necessary to take the gavel.

From Instapunit:

“McCarthy launched his effort to be House speaker earlier this month in a closed-ballot vote by his conference. At the time, he only earned 188 of the 218 votes necessary to become speaker, with 31 votes going to his surprise challenger: House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ). Biggs is one of the dozens of Republicans who have refused to support McCarthy’s speakership bid. That opposition, combined with a less-than-stellar turnout by Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections, is jeopardizing McCarthy’s chances of securing the gavel.”

Other foks are noticing. 

While it is just like the Republican Party to make things ridiculous like this, I’m not sure we’re going to get there. It may be more than enough to simply scare Kevin McCarthy into not being a squish. For those who think this is pollyannaish, understand that McCarthy’s majority will be so slim that he can’t afford any hiccups. He will need all of the cooperation he can get.

McCarthy needs to make peace with the Freedom Caucus. 

Trending News

 It seems that Alyssa Milano is getting a ration of crap for the tweet she posted about  trading her Tesla for a Volkswagen.  Because she hated Musk.  Or something.

Everyone knows, or should know, the history of the Volkswagen.  It was the People's Car of the late 1930s German government.  You knw, the one that Hitler ran?

That aside, I owned two of them.  The first, I bought off the ad-hoc lot on the parking lot of the PX at Fort Knox.  Paid $500 for it.  Drove it for three years as a work car/hunting car, so my wife could use the family sedan.  When I left Fort Knox, I put it back on that same lot and got my $500 back.

Bought my second one when my elder son  needed a car.  Fixed it up and he drove it to school and work.

The VW Beetle was a great little car.  Nothing fancy, but a lot of fun to drive.

I don't have a problem with Milano learning her history, and I don't have a problem with the VW Beetle.  If I could find a nice example today for $500, I'd probably buy it.

Smoked Turkey Gumbo

 We have a smoked turkey every year for Thanksgiving, for two reasons.  First, because everyone expects it and second, because I want a gumbo.  On Friday, I took that turkey carcass and all the leftover bits and put it in a stock pot.  Boiled it for an hour or so to make stock, then took the bits out, peeled the meat from the bones and let the stock cool before I put everything away and cleaned up my mess.

This morning I put that turkey stock and the meaty bits back in that stock pot and put a low fire under it.  Then, I cut up some good smoked sausage, browned it in a skillet, then drained it and that sausage went into the gumbo pot.  I used the drippings from the sausage to make a roux,   Added it to the pot, then sauted some onions and poppers with a little garlic 

It's on a low fire now, bubbling happily.  About 11:00 I will put on a pot of rice.

Gumbo is an inflation fighter.  I already had the leftover turkey, with the onions, peppers and sausage, I figure I have about $10 in that pot, and I'll feed a dozen people at lunch.  That less than a buck a plate.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 

At The Liquor Store

 I dropped by the liquor store today to pick up some wine for Belle.  I found it and took it to the counter where I encountered a fresh-faced young man at the register.

Him: "Anything else?"

Me: "What you got?:

Him: "We have everything."

Me: "Let's see.  Ardbeg Dark Cove?"

Him: "No."

Me: "Bruichladdich Port Charlotte?"

Him: "No"

Me: "Well, I guess you don't have everything, right?"

To be fair, I didn't expect him to have those, but if he had, I would have bought a bottle.

Scaup

 My father called them Butterballs. other folks called them Blue Bills.  The lesser scaup is a duck species native to North America.  They are diving ducks.

The last time we got into a flight of scaup was a day much like today.  A front moving through, low clouds scudding at treetop height.  A misting rain.  Dad and I were in a blind in the Catahoula swamp and as daylight broke, the scaup started flying.  We knocked down our limits in about 15 minutes of shooting, collected the ducks and were walking out of the lake as the other hunt3rs were coming in.  This was pre-1980.

I tell you all this because not 15 minutes ago, I was drinking coffee on my back porch and a flight of scaup came over, looking at the lake that is in the center of our subdivision.  They made two passes, then departed to the northeast, probably headed for that very same lake that Dad and I hunted in all those years ago.

But, it is time for me to get busy with my day, and shooting ducks has no part in it.

This And That

 A Headline

Biden Education Official Says Democracy—And Everything Else—Is White Supremacy

My Thoughts

 WHen everything is "whte supremacy", nothing is "white supremacy".

Suspect Shot

 It seems that another upstanding citizen tried to harm a police officer and got shot for his trouble.  In this case, the suspect will survive to explain his actions before a court.  According to the local station:

Louisiana State Police has taken over the investigation. LSP investigators shared in their initial report that at around 12:30 p.m., APD received a complaint that a man was running into traffic on Rapides Avenue. When an officer got to the area, they came in contact with the man, identified as 34-year-old Jason Shackleford.

According to LSP, Shackleford then initiated a lengthy physical altercation with the officer. During the physical altercation, LSP shared that Shackleford “gained control of the officer’s baton and began choking the officer from behind with the baton.” That’s when the officer fired his gun and shot Shackleford.

Shackleford was transported to a local hospital for treatment. In its update, LSP shared that he was last listed in stable condition. The officer was also transported to a local hospital for treatment, but has since been released.

 Choke an officer, catch a bullet.  It sounds to me like a good shoot.

You might recall that earlier this week, we covered another incident where a suspect tried to disarm an officer and caught a bullet for his trouble. There seems to be a pattern here, and the street idiots need to take both these incidents as object lessons.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 While enjoying the moderate temps outside an hour ago, I heard squawking overhead and noticed a big flight of snow geese headed south.  Which prompted me to open an ap and look at the surface map.

It looks like we are in for some rain later today.  But that's okay, too.  The turkey and the ham are in the roaster, Belle is puttering around in the kitchen, and I have a good roof overhead.  Lots to be thankful for.  Family will show up in a couple of hours, and the feast will be amazing.

The big decision I have now is when I'm going to cook the traditional after-Thanksgiving gumbo.  This evening after the party subsides, I will break up the turkey carcass and drop it into a big stock pot.  That smoked turkey will lend an amazing flavor to the stock, and I'll use that as a base for a gumbo either on Friday or Saturday. I really enjoy the after-Thanksgiving gumbo.

Belle is banging pots in the kitchen, so I suppose I should go see what I can do to help.

Thanksgiving Prep

 The day before Thanksgiving, and we're prepping.  Belle has lots on her list, and by default, I have a list too.  I'm not sure how many people we are going to feed tomorrow, but 20 is a good working average. This is why I built the shop, so that we can entertain a crowd in comfort.

Whatever you may think about the traditions and history of Thanksgiving, it is a time to share with family and friends, to give thanks to our Creator and to enjoy a little time with people we don't see as often as we would like.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

What Is The Play

 Something interesting is playing out.

It seems that CBS News now believes that the Hunter Biden laptop is real.  And the evidence on it is damning.

More from Fox News here.

One week after the Republicans flipped the House, and gave notice that they would start investigations, the liberal news organizations now believe that the laptop they dismissed as fake two years ago, now shows the corruption of the Biden family.

Leslie Stahl owes Donald Trump a big, fat apology.  If the laptop is real, then both Hunter and The Big Guy face a host of influence peddling charges.

Gavin Newsome is ecstatic.

Officer Involved Shooting Rapides Parish

On 11-06-22 a deputy with the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office was involved in a shooting following a traffic stop.  The Sheriff of the parish, Mark Wood, asked the Louisiana State Police to conduct a critical incident investigation.  The investigation is not concluded, but the Louisiana State Police has released what they call a Critical Incident Community Briefing to keep the community informed on the status of the investigation.

The briefing is below. It shows the incident from the perspective of the cruiser's dash camera, the officers body camera, and the perspective from a citizen cell phone.

On November 20, 2022, Colonel Lamar Davis of the Louisiana State Police provided an update to the initial briefing.

This investigation ain't over yet.

Back In Service

 My old Model 38, the Smith and Wesson Airweight is back in service.  I found this gun in late 2011 or early 2012, a pawn shop find.  Originally a nickeled aluminum revolver, I bought it very used and it became a pocket gun.  I've always been enamored of J-frame pistols.  A blast from the past.

Here is the old girl as she came from the pawn shop, wearing Herrett grips.

A couple of years ago during routine service, we found some problems with the nickel finish.  It was starting to peel.  My Smith mechanic recommended that we refinish the frame, and I put it on the back burner to fighure out what I wanted to do.

After a couple of years, grandson Zach is now a cerracote gguy at a local AR manufactory.  He took the frame in and stripped it, then coated it with what he calls Armorers Black.  My Smith mechanic was in town today and he reassembled the gun.  I wanted to keep the cylinder and crane nickeledd, with a black frame, to make it a bi-color.

It's back together now, with a new set of cocobolo grips.  This revolver has a pinned barrel, so I know that its date of manufacture pre-dates 1982.  In 1982, SW dropped the pinned barrel as an unnecessary production step.  The revolver is at least 40 years old, and is ready for another 40 years of service.

Chicken Fried Steak

Family is in for Thanksgiving, and the grandkids are out of school, so we'll be cooking all week.

Belle decided today that she wanted to cook chicken fried steak.  Our recipe is a lot like Kent Rollins, with one simple change.  Instead of double-dipping his beading, ours is a three-step process.  First dredge the seasoned meat in flour, then the eg wash, then we dip them in crushed saltine crackers.

About an hour before we cook, I'll put saltine crackers in a gallon size zipper bag, then roll them with her roller until they are a powder.  

Then, the process is seasoned meat (salt, pepper, garlic powder), into the flour dredge, then into the egg wash, then into the crushed saltines.  It gives us a better crust.  Below, Kent Rollins lays it out for you.

With mashed potatoes, cream gravy, and baby lima beans.  

The Labor Gap

 Our governor, the execrable John Bel Edwards (hack, spit) is trumpeting what he believes to be a touchstone in his damnable administration.  It seems that Louisiana has achieved an unemployment rate of 3.7%.  What John Bel doesn't tell you is exactly how many folks in Louisiana have left the labor force.  It's huge.

What he is not trumpeting is that Louisiana's Labor Force Participation rate is currently at 58.5%.  That tells us that  41.5% of the labor force is not participating at all.  Generous rounding tells us that 60% of the population is being dragged down by the other 40%.

John Bel can crow about these numbers, but the simple fact is that over 40% of our labor force is not working, not looking for work, or is living in the labor force black market.  Combine that with our out-migration and you have a recipe for disaster.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 

Old Masters

 There is an interesting discussion on the Fast Draw Facebook page.  It seems that some of the newer shooters have discovered someone named Elmer Keith.  Heh!

I've been reading Elmer Keith since the 1960s.  His expertise on big-bore handguns was legendary.  The fact that he was able to simultaneously talk Remington and Smith and Wesson into building the .44 Magnum is one of the coolest tales ever told.

There is a great link here about how he pulled it off.

Ain't This Interesting?

 House Republicans are set to launch a deep-dive into Hunter Biden.

Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to look into Donald Trump.

And, I just saw that some of Jeffrey Epstein's contacts are going to be made public.

This shit is fixing to get real.

Get It Done, Chuck!

Chuck says that he wants a comprehensive immigration bill.

Well, who is stopping him?  He still has a Senate majority, and until Jan 3rd, San Fran Nan still has a House majority.  Who is stopping them?  The simple truth is that they do not want to fix the problem.  They only want to talk about it.

In Comments

 In reference to the Trench post yesterday, Steve asks in comments:

If you don't mind, would you share pictures? Steve

Sorry, Steve, I didn't think about taking photos during the dirt work.  But, it's rather straight-forward, and YouTube is awash in trech videos.   In the past I have used what we locally call a Ditch-Witch, which uses a gasoline engine to cut a trench 6" wide and maybe 3' deep.  This machine was smaller.  It cut a trench 3" wide and a max depth of 18".

I didn't go that deep.  I only cut to just below sod depth.  Maybe six inches max.  Then, I installed 1" PVC with the ethernet cable inside.  Then, used a sweeping curve to come out of the ground and take the cable into the shop.  I then used some strapping to secure the conduit to the building, cut a hole in the wall, and used some Great Stuff to seal the conduit into the wall.  Then, hooked the router t the ethernet cable, plugged it in, and let it go through its opening ceremony.  Voila!   The shop has internet.

Digging Trenches

 I went to Homey Depot this morning and rented a trencher.  Spent the morning digging a trench from the house to the shop. Then, burying the outdoor, burial rated ethernet cable in a PVC conduit.  I'm up to the shop now, and have made the curve our of the ground.  Awaiting second son, who will be here in an hour of so, and we'll finish the installation in just a few minutes after he arrives.  He does this sort of thing for a living, and I want his judgement on where to cut the hole in the wall.

This past Monday, I got a call from my ISP.  Earlier they had said that running internet to the shop was un-possible.  Now, they have decided that it can be done.  They have the work orders approved and want to schedule the installation.  I told them Never Mind.  I wanted to throw money at them, but they could not do it, so I took matters into my own hands.

Digging trenches is not a lot of fun, but it's done now, and we're almost there.

Trump Ammounces

 He's back, seeking the Republican nomination.

I admit I have mixed feelings about it.

Cold and Clammy

 We got up early this morning and went to the hospital where Belle had a follow--up.  Got done under two hours, and went to breakfast.  Back at home now, and the weather is miserable.  40-ish, misting rain, if I were in Kentucky, I'd predict snow.

So, we're doing what any rational person would do, making a big pot of deer chili.

Yeah, it has beans in it.  This ain't Texas chili, this is my chili.

Majority? Not Yet

 According to sources, NBC is projecting that the GOP has won the House majority, although by a very slim margin.

Officially, NBC News says the House majority is undecided at this point. However, the Daily Caller also projected that Republicans will flip the House, and have a 219-216 seat majority.

Meh!  At this point, I'll wait until the ballots are counted. 

Attempted Flight

 A local inmate decided to try his luck jumping off the 3rd floor parking garage after a court session.

At approximately 11:38 am, an inmate being transported from 9th Judicial District Court downtown back to Detention Center 3 attempted to escape by jumping off the third floor parking garage.

According to the initial reports, the inmate, who was handcuffed and shackled, broke away from deputies loading the transport van with inmates returning from court and ran to the corner of the garage.  As deputies approached the inmate giving him verbal commands to get on the ground,  the inmate jumped over the side of the parking garage, landing on the sidewalk at Johnston Street  at Foisy Street.

Deputies were on the street and witnessed the inmate landing on the sidewalk.  The deputies responded and quickly assessed his injuries and called for RPSO Medical Staff and Acadian Ambulance. 

The inmate was alert and conversing when Acadian Ambulance arrived and transported him to a local hospital.

Corrections Security Investigators say his incident is still under investigation.

We don't do Catch and Release in Rapides Parish.

Trailer Maintenance

 I own a little 5X10 trailer that I use for light loads, and it hasn't moved in several (five?) years. I pulled it out yesterday and noticed that the tires are dry-rotted.  So, this morning is trailer maintenance.  New tires, squirt a little grease in the wheel bearings, make sure the lights work.  I'll need the trailer later this week, so it's time to make sure it is road-worthy.

I've hosed everything down with penetrating oil, and giving it a half hour to seep in.

If you use a trailer every day, or once a week, you see things when they crop up.  If you let the trailer sit behind the shop for five years (and I think that is about right) the maintenance comes due all at once.

I could tell you horror stories about folks who let trailers sit for years, then expect them to work in the run up before a major event, like a hurricane.  It never ends well.  I'm trying to avoid a bad ending here.

None Of The Above

 I see that the Senate race in Nevada has been called with Democrat Cortez-Masteo defeating Republican Adam Laxalt by a slim margin.  Candidate None Of The Above won 1.2% of the vote.

The Senate race in Arizona has also been called, to the benefit of the Democrat.

At this point, it really doesn't matter what happens in Georgia.  The Democrats will control the Senate for the next two years.  Good Luck to Hershel Walker, but his race is now officially a side-show.

With 435 seats in the House, and 25 still not decided, I see no reason for Pelosi to start packing her office yet.  Long counts favor Democrats.  She may well retain her speaker post.

It is time for the Republicans to take a hard look at their leadership, their messaging, and their strategy for winning elections.  Ronna McDaniel, Mitch McConnel, and Kevin McCarthy should either step down of be driven from leadership.  They failed spectacularly.  It's time for the Republicans to take a deep breath and reassess everything.

Make no mistake.  I am not accusing anyone of cheating.  The Democrats are winning, and they are dragging the US down the tubes.  The Republicans need to come up with better leaders, better candidates, and a better strategy.  What they are doing now is not working.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 Harassing the cat is his second favorite occupation.

Whazzup Wit That?

 Newsmax is reporting that Democrat Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has prevailed in his race over Republican challenger Blake Masters for the US Senate

I didn't think that they were finished with the vote count in Arizona yet. The governors race is still undecided.

I'm just sayin'.

Learn to Count

 Like many of us, I want free, fair elections where every American gets to cast a ballot and have it counted. I want every American to have faith that the electoral process works, and that it accurately reflects the cumulative will of the voters.

The election was over on Tuesday, and this morning, Friday, we still don't know who won in three key races.  Arizona and Nevada have not finished counting the votes.  We may not know the final tally until next week.  This reflects utter failure on the part of the vote-counters in both Arizona and Nevada, and does not engender confidence in the process.  It should not take more than 24 hours to count the vote, and many places do it a whole lot faster.

When this debacle is over, and the votes are finally counted, the election officials in Arizona and Nevada need to scrap whatever process they are using, and go to Florida, or Texas, or even New York, and learn how tose sttes conduct and election.  Because, plainly, what they are doing now does not work.

Sponsor A Liberal For Just $8 A Month

Happy Birthday, Jarheads

 On this day in 1775  the Continental Marines were established, recruiting in Tun's Tavern, Philadelphia. 

Georgia

 Finished running errands this morning, got some lunch and sat down to look at the political climate.

It appears that the Republicans will take the House by a slim majority.  We don't know how slim, but it looks like the GOP will win the house.

Politico tell sus that 97 Senate races are decided.  49 for the Red, and 48 for the Blue.  Georgia is in a runoff between Warnock and Walker.  Utah and Arizona are still counting.  If Arizona and Utah split, it boils down to Georgia.  If Utah and Arizona go blue, it boils down to Georgia.  If Utah and Arizona go red, it still boils down to Georgia.

I would not want to be a voter in Georgia for the next month.

Counting The Votes

 I fondly remember the 2000 presidential election.  I was dating a woman who supported Al Gore, while I supported George W Bush. We were both frustrated when the election hanged on the chads in Florida and it was Too Close To Call.  Florida has since cleaned up their act, and votes are counted quickly.  We knew who won in Florida within five hours of the polls closing.

But, this morning after the election, we are still awaiting totals from Arizona, Georgia, and a number of other states.  For example, the US House races still outstanding.

And, the US Senate

Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, or some in between, we need to do better.  People need to know who won, and dragging it out doesn't help to engender confidence in the process.  Arizona and Georgia really need to clean p their act, along with several other states.  We should know who won an election by daylight the next day.

What Red Wave?

A brief history of midterm elections.  All references from Wikipedia.  GOggle it yourself.

 In 1994, Republicans wrested control of Congress from Bill Clinton, by picking up six Senate seats and 54 House seats.

In the 1998 midterms, Republicans retained control of both the House and Senate.

In 2002 under George W Bush, Republicans had a net gain of 2 in the Senate and gained 8 in the House.

In 2006, the Democrats gained 6 Senate seats and 31 seats in the Hous3.

In the 2010 midterms, during Obana's first term Republicans picked up 6 seats in the Senate and picked up 63 seats in the House.

In the 2014 midterms, the Republicans picked up 9 seats in the Senate and the House picked up an additional 13 seats, giving Republicans the largest majority since 1928

In 2022 as I write this, the day after the elections, we are simply not sure who controls the House or the Senate.  No red wave materialized, in defiance of the pollsters and the history of midterm elections.  Generally, the president's opponents gain seats.  Right now, we're not sure, but even if we gain a slim majority in the House and hold the status quo in the Senate, we can say that the Republicans failed to meet expectations. Biden won this one.

Both Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell should immediately step down as party leaders.  Along with whomever is the head weenie at the RNC.  They failed completely.

Election Day

 It's election day.  The polls are open locally and voting has begun.  Belle and I voted early.  We like doing that, but we realize that not everyone has that opportunity.  We have family members who will vote today.

Who is going to win?  The American people. The pundits I listen to say that we are on the cusp of a red wave, but I realize that I might be listening from inside a bubble.  So, I went over to Larry Sabato's site to see what his team has to say.  Sabato is not known to be conservative, politically, but he is fairly good at reading the tea leaves, or the chicken entrails, or whatever he uses to predict races.  Sabato says that the Republicans are going to win both the House and the Senate.

If you haven't voted, make sure that you vote today.  And, if you are conflicted, vote Republican.  The Republicans are not perfect, but the other side is insane.

Massive Failure - Whatever

 The news is awakening to the simple, undeniable fact that the Covid response was a massive failure.  Even USA Today is covering it.

We've been reporting the failures of the Covid response for two years, but somehow, the memes started coming this week.  For example.

There is a great Twitter meme on it.  Click here for a hilarious video.

More memes at Hot Air.

Unrelated Thoughts

 

At The Grocers

 Yesterday, Belle gave me a list and sent me to the grocers.  This had proven, in the past, to be a disaster, but she figured she would try it once again.  I got to the grocery and worked the list, and headed for the checkout line.  One of the items on the list was a rotisserie chicken.  One of those pre-cooked chickens that we use in recipes.

As I was checking out, I noticed that I had forgotten to load the chicken in the cart, so I mentioned to the cashier, a young lady. "Don't let me forget that dead chicken."

She looked up, startled, "Dead?"

I loaded the bag into the cart.  "Yeah, sweetie.  I'm fairly sure that this chicken is deceased."

As I pushed the cart through the door, she was still laughing.

No Moping

 That's the message that the Lightworker is sending to Democrats ahead of the drubbing they are about to receive.

"Sulking and moping is not an option," former President Barack Obama told Democratic voters in Pittsburgh. "On Tuesday, let's make sure our country doesn’t get set back 50 years."

Sulking and moping would be much preferable to the total meltdown we have come to expect when Democrats lose. 

I am really looking forward to Wednesday morning.

Sunday Moring Dawg

 Laid up beside Belle, taking a nap.

Joe Manchin Learns that Biden Is A Democrat

 It seems that our President, in a recent rally, promised to shut down all the coal fired plants in the US.

Senator Joe Manchin, D-WV, is pissed.  West Virginia digs a lot of coal.

Sen. Joe Manchin, whose state relies heavily on the coal industry, was none too pleased. He ripped Biden in a statement Saturday morning, calling the president’s comments “outrageous and divorced from reality.”

I can't wait until Wednesday morning. 

The Clock Moves

 I am reminded that tomorrow morning at 3:00 a.m., we set the clocks back to 2:00 a.m.

When I was a road cop, I hated working that shift.  First, because it was a night shift, and second, because 2"30 came twice.  There may have once been a valid reson to adjust the clocks twice yearly, but that time is gone.

If Biden wanted to do something useful, he would ram through legislation to simply cancel Daylight Savings Time.  It would be bipartisan and would clear both houses with veto proof majorities.

But, he doesn't want to be useful.

The Basics

 There is a discussion going on in CFDA about basic gun safety, and in this context it always helps to review the basics.  Many years ago, Jeff Cooper famously promulgated his Four Rules.  They are as basic as it gets, yet a strict adherence to these rules have proven to be very effective at preventing accidents.

RULE 1 ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED

RULE 2 NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO DESTROY

RULE 3 KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER TIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET

RULE 4 BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET

The years have proven that these four simple rules are sufficient for our purposes.  They can lead to greater discussion, but these form the basics. 

Californians Move to Texas Episode 4: The Gun Range

Hey Clyburne! You Lose

 Someone please tell James Clyburn that he just lost the argument.

House Majority Whip: US 'on track to repeat' Nazi Germany, downplays inflation ahead of midterms

According to Godwin's Law, if you invoke the Nazis, you lose. 

These are coming so fast and furious that I'm having to schedule postings.  Tuesday is going to be a hoot.

Covid Amnesty? Not Likely

 Termite linked to some articles in a comment, below.  There are some people who are pushing for an amnesty on the public health officials and elected leaders who led us through the most severe degradation of civil liberties since Reconstruction.

Not likely.  Elected leaders are supposed to know the Constitution, and I see no where in the Bill of Rights that allows a suspension of civil liberties during a virus.  Yes, it is true that thousand died, but it is also true that lives and businesses were wrecked, schools were shuttered to the detriment of students,   It's also true that the elites refused to play by the same rules that they decreed for their citizens.

As a Christian, I routinely ask for Grace, and I tend to forgive those that trespass against me.  But, that doesn't mean that I forget the indignity that was foisted upon me. It's bad enough that the execrable judgement of the so-called "public health officials" has led many of us to never trust them again in any regard.  They squandered the public trust.  They were so completely wrong about Covid that no one listens to them.

There are questions about the pandemic.  Not the least of which is the origin of the virus itself, and whether the CCP pushed it on the world as a form of biological warfare.  We also need to know who in the United States was complicit in furthering the aims of the CCP.

Somebody, Please Tell Joe

Somone, please tell Joe that democracy is not at risk.  Democracy is not on the ballot.  Democracy IS the ballot.

As for that asshole Ron Klain, Who is he to give me a warning? What arrogance, which is one reason we're getting ready to cut your power off.

Every so often, the American people revolt.  Thankfully for us all, we do it at the ballot box.  We realign political power to more closely suit our purposes.  In this republic, The People are in charge.  Our political puppets forget that fact at their own risk.  If the polls are right, next week will bring a realignment of political power.  Peacefully, through the ballot.  I'm buying extra popcorn to watch the inevitable meltdown.

They Are Freaking Out

I'm doing the gag work so you don't have to.  But, it appears that the Democrats are freaking out, with the idea that Republicans might capture Congress. It's mentally crippling to the Dems.

Quelle Horreur!  It's the End Of Democracy.  This bit of reassuring hysteria from CNBC.

It ain't over yet, but it will be (or should be, if they can count votes) late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

I'm really enjoying this, but I admit that I"m tired of watching political news.  I think I"m going to find a good movie to watch.

Remembering Affirmative Action.

 I graduated from high school in 1971 and like many of my peers, went directly into college.  I started at LSUA, a small regional campus that would let a broke student begin his college career while staying at home.  My first semester of college cost me $92.00 plus books.  Not $92.00 per semester hour.  $92.00 total.

My first college class was Accounting 101, basics of accounting.  We had over 40 students in the room, which only had 30 chairs. It was a Wednesday morning.  Our professor told us not to worry, all he wanted us to do was to go to the book store, buy the text and a workbook, study the first four chapters and be ready for a test on Friday morning. Class dismissed.

When I showed up for the test on Friday morning, only about 20 other students were in attendance.  The prof was very pleased that we had made it this far, and started teaching us accounting.

We also had the Draft.  A quaint employment program for able bodied males.  After the first semester, we would look around and ask, "Where's Joe?:"  He flunked out and is in the Army.  The ladies didn't have to worry about the draft, but they could still flunk out.  There were plenty of waitress jobs available, and the Trade School was still teaching hair-dressing.

That was affirmative action when I was growing up.  If you flunked out, you were drafted, or went to trade school.  It was a whole 'muther world. College students were expected to be adults, not over-age children.

Move Along, Joe

 I understand our decrepit president is going to give a speech tonight.  With inflation at 40 year high, an unrestricted border, crime spiking in Democrat cities. high fuel prices and high food prices, he intends to talk about January 6th.  The world has moved on, but the swamp-dwellers are still trying to figure out what happened.

The US House of Representatives is called "The People's House".  On January 6th, some of the people showed up. That is what happened.  The People should be welcome in the US House.

In six days, The People are going to show up again, with their votes.

True, That

 I'll be 69 this year, but I get the point.

Linked

 After offering to throw money at my ISP to get them to put internet in the shop, and being told it was un-possible, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I had a bunch (several hundred yards) of Cat5 cable we used for fast draw, and the shop is only 70 feet from the house.  I bought a router and ran a test line from the modem in the house to the router in the shop.  A few minutes of setup, and I was connected.  

Now, I have to get some Cat5E, some pvc for conduit, and rent a trencher.  The concept works, and now I have to make it more eye-pleasing, rather than a bare cable run across the grass.  

I now have internet access in the shop, and my ISP can blow soap bubbles out their ass.

Is Affirmative Action Over?

 There is a case wending its way through the legal system that seeks to overturn race-based admissions at UNC. The case has made it to oral arguments at the Supreme Court.

What we today call Affirmative Action stems from a series of legislative bills and executive orders in 1965

Whether you agree or disagree, it has been a topic of discussion ever since.  Oral arguments were very recent, and the Supremes will rule in their time and in their manner.  Many Americans have lived their entire lives under Affirmative Action and cannot conceive a future without it.

This is liable to get interesting.

Stump Politics

 Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) was on the stump tonight and we went to listen to him at the Buckeye High School gym.  It was classic John Kennedy; his I Believe speech.  But, he mingled with the crowd before he took the microphone.

Here, he is chatting with Belle when he came up in the bleachers to visit with the crowd.

Classic Louisiana politics.  We like John Kennedy and believe he represents us well.

That Whole Pelosi THing

I'm sure by now you have heard of that whole Paul Pelosi thing, where he was hit in the head by an intruder and had to have surgery. We wish him a full, complete, and speedy recovery.

As I learned in police work all those decades, initial news reports are often wrong.  I'm happy to wait for a better reporting of the incident, but the corrections simply don't make any sense.  The SFPD doesn't use body cams?  Where is the tape of the original 911 call?  The Pelosi cottage in SanFran doesn't have security video?  The questions keep coming, and the answers don't shed any light on the situation.

I hope that Paul gets better quickly.  I really do, but this whole kerfuffle is starting to look like Jussie Smollett 2.0.