Recruiting and Retention

 The headline says it all.  

Woke military policies drive down recruitment, Army falling far short

General Milley is an unbridled disaster.  For an officer with his qualifications, decorations, and awards, he has proven absolutely unsittable to leading the Army.  He presided over the worst military defeat in the history of the US Army, then brought the troops home and began implementing woke, social justice policies that have crippled an already demoralized Army.  He should have been cashiered as soon as the last plane went "wheels up" out of Kabul. Were he an honorable officer, he would have retired immediately, citing his failure and recognizing his inability to inspire confidence.

Our Secretary of Defames, Lloyd Austin, suffers from the same failures.  He should have been gone long ago, but I suspect that he checks intersectional blocks for the administration.  

Recession

 I was taught in college, in the early 70s that a recession was defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP put us in a recession.  In the 80s, in graduate school, studying both classical and Keynesian economics, I learned the same definition.

With first quarter growth at -1.6% and second quarter growth at -1.6%, we are now in the classical definition of a recission.

I don't care what Joe or his Commerce dept says about it, we are inside the classical definition of a recession.  He can spin it all he wants, and he can get over it.  He's a lying sonofabitch anyway.

Justice, Not Revenge

 I see a post over at PJMedia that says the GOP is considering investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci if they take back the Congress in November. 

Congressional Republicans are floating the idea of investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Biden administration’s response to the COVID pandemic should they win back the majority in the midterms.

Don't investigate him for the Covid response.  We forget that he was advising President Trump and could not have moved forward with the Covid response without the approval of the president.  There is a lot of blame to spread, but I think that we should be very precise in our investigations.  Better, we should investigate Fauci for his participation in gain-of-function research that led to the pandemic.  He was giving grants to the Wuhan lab, and they were working on bioweapons.  If he didn't know, he should have known.  If he were giving grants nilly-willy to a lab in communist China in some high-faluting of doing dangerous research without proper oversight, he may be respnsible for the whole pandemic.

I'm just saying.

There is another article at PJMedia that asks if the GOP should look ahead to a 2023 revenge agenda?

No, just no.  We have too much work to do to simply get America back on track.  Revenge is a bad idea in government.  Justice, certainly, but never revenge.  Let the voters take revence.

Louisiana State 2022

It's in the record books.  We had 88 shooters from 12 states, in ages ranging from 8 to 82.  Below is a video of the finals.  We start our finals by letting the kids shoot.  Girls, boys, then step up to the ladies, then to the men.

My media team fell down, mainly because I am the media team.  I don't know anything about color balance, or audio inputs.  Turn your sound down, it's loud.  The little girls start at the beginning, the boys start at about the 12:00 mark.  The ladies begin somewhere around the 32:00 mark, and the men about 1:06:00.

We trach our kids gun safety By the time many of them have been shooting for a little while, they are experts with the single-action revolver.  

Louisiana State is in the record books.  It's time to unpack the van and unload the trailer and make sure that I'm ready to host a club match in August.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 We're still shooting, but I put this in the queue several days ago.  I'll bet this is what he is doing when we are at the range all day.

That dog sleeps in the goofiest positions.  I'll be back tomorrow, as soon as I can unload the van and find the computer.

Out Of Pocket

 In another hour or so, I'm going to shut down this computer and go off net for an extended weekend.  I"ll be conducting a major shooting match. I am the match director and won't be posting this weekend.   I'll be back sometime Monday, July 25th.

Greenwood Park Mall Shooting Destroys Gun Control Narrative Exercising C...

Good Guy

 A young man who was carrying a firearm stopped what could have been a mass shooting incident in Greenwood, IN.  He is being hailed as a hero by police.

Evidently, he did a pretty good job of ending the threat.

In a news conference on July 18, Greenwood police Chief James Ison described the dramatic confrontation between Dicken and the shooter, who had opened fire on people sitting in the food court. Ison said he believed Dicken saved many lives. “[Dicken’s] actions were nothing short of heroic. He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun. Was very proficient in that, very tactically sound,” said Ison, who revealed that the shooting was captured on surveillance video. “And, as he moved to close in on the suspect, he was also motioning for people to exit behind him.”

Kudos to him for being willing to step up. 

I heard rumblings about this story on Monday but was unable to follow up on it.  Thanks to Termite for supplying a link.

Do It Now

 Dr. Anthony Fauci has announces that he will retire by the end of Biden's term.

If he retires sooner rather than later, maybe Congress will not recall that he lied to them under sworn testimony. He may escape indictment under a Republican congress.

Does Someone Owe Rand Paul An Apology?

 It seems that the NIH has admitted that it funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan.  Of course, the grantee failed to report some experiments.

I remember congressional hearings where Fauci was asked that direct question.  Did the US fund gain-of-function?  It seems that someone owes Rand Paul and apology.

Mugged By Reality

 Poor Jill Biden (excuse me, Doctor Jill Biden).  She was talking at a fundraiser this weekend and lamented that her husband had big hopes when he took the presidency but has been beset by one crisis after another.

Jill Biden spent the weekend in Massachusetts raising money for the DNC and speaking to the American Federation of Teachers national convention. In Nantucket on Saturday, she spoke at a DNC fundraiser and painted her husband as a man who dreams big but was mugged by reality when he came into office as president. Yes, really. Jill Biden wants Democrats to think that her husband, a career politician with almost 50 years of experience in elected office, can’t get his “hopes” accomplished because of “the problems of the moment.”

Yeah, reality has a way of doing that.   Forgive me if I don't have any sympathy for Joe Biden.  After 50 years in elected office, both as a senator and as a vice president, he should have known what he was getting into.  He asked for the job.  And he has proven that he is totally unfit for it.

It would have been better for Joe if he had gone into a well-deserved retirement following his vice presidency.  We might have remembered him as an affable, gaffe-prone politician.  Now we will remember him as a failed president who presided over a terrible time in America, fueled mostly by his own bad decisions.   Let's not forget that his family seems to be awash in political corruption and influence peddling.  I won't waste any tears over Joe.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 Sleeping it off in a quiet corner of the shop.

Boiled Steak

You ever eat a boiled steak?  Well, it's not really boiled, it's sous vide, which is a French cooking method. Lots of culinary foodies spend a lot of money on fancy sous vide equipment.  

This is Burce MItchell, a fellow who first came to my attention on the show Swamp People.  Bruce hunts wild gators, and his family raises alligator, and Burce has managed to make a living at it. Belle's niece, Angelle, claims that Burce is a "snappy dresser", and I guess there is some truth to that.

The steak looks good, but I really like his potatoes recipe, and I'll have to try that.  Bruce is hawking for Blackstone griddles these days, and that's okay too.  I love my Blackstone.

Mini-Reunion

 Well, that was fun.  We had 30 people over for a mini-reunion, some from as far away as Tuscaloosa, AL and Emma, MO.  Pulled pork, salads, tater salad, beans, corn casserole, deviled eggs.  Enough dessert to put down a diabetic.  People from toddlers to the eighties.  It was a helluva party.

They are gone now, and we'll eat leftovers for lunch tomorrow, as I reset the shop, put away tables and chairs, and get ready for the next evolution.

But, that is for tomorrow.  For tonight, I"m going to pour a drink and relax a bit.

Make Rifles Great Again

Have you seen this ad?  Jerome Davison is running for Arizona's 4th Congressional district.  This may be the baddest campaign ad I've seen lately.

Friday Frantic

 We are prepping for the second family gathering this week. On Tuesday, my side of the family showed up for an impromptu get-together.  Tomorrow, Belle's side of the family is coming for a mini-reunion.  The first gathering was fairly small, a dozen in attendance.  This one will be a bit larger.  I don't have a headcount right now, but I'm thinking mid 20s.

We will be prepping all day.

Transphobic

It seems that there was a hearing on Capitol Hill recently where a young professor accused Senator Josh Hawley (R-Rational World) of being transphobic without a whit of reason.  Sen Hawley was only asking questions, and the accusation rang out.

What is transphobia?  Well, if we go to the dictionary, we learn that a phobia is " an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something".  Fair enough.  I am neither averse nor afraid of trans people.  So, obviously I'm not transphobic.  But, I do have questions, just like Senator Hawley does.  Our question are based on biology, logic, and the broader philosophical inquiry.

Yet, if I were  in that hearing asking questions, I would probably be labeled as transphobic, when according to the meaning of the word, I am no such thing.  One would think that a professor from a major university would understand the use of words.  I am neither transphobic, nor arachnophobic, although I do seem to trend toward claustrophobic.  

Best Fails of the Year (So Far) 2022

It's about an hour long, but it is clips of fails.  Fire is real.  Gravity sucks, and momentum will impose its will.  Plus, the human condition.  It's all there.

Frustrated

 The Headline at the New York Post

‘Frustrated’ young women are trying to get sterilized after overturning of Roe

The article talks about one woman's experience in trying to get sterilized, a procedure known as a tubal ligation.  

 Young women who declare they don’t want children have always faced pushback, but the US Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade, has forced Americans — and particularly women of childbearing age — to seriously consider how to manage their bodies as their reproductive rights and choices diminish.

Abortion was never supposed to be a contraceptive choice.  And, the Dobbs decision did not diminish any rights.  I'm one of those Americans who believe that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. I've always supported exceptions for rape, incest, and to protect the life of the mother.   But, I could never support the use of abortion simply because someone made a bad decision.  I believe every woman should have full control of her reproductive system and make informed choices to control reproduction.  Those choices and decisions begin long before the need for an abortion arises.

About Those Tacos

 The internet is still swirling about the entitled idiot who serves as First Lady, and her affection for breakfast tacos. Tucker Carlson talks about her intellect here.   Brett Cooper takes a lighter side of the kerfuffle here.

Here in Cajun land, we have a rich history of food and the complexities of individual variations.  Boudin, for example.  Everyone has their own recipe, and local foodies can tell which vendor made it simply by tasting.  It's all boudin, but it's all different.  Same thing with gumbo, or jambalaya.  Every cook has their own recipe.  

As for myself, I love tacos.  The standard, staple we get from Taco Bell, and the more exotic we might find at one or another of the local restaurants.  For that matter, sometimes we start throwing meat and spices on the griddle and open a package of tortillas.  Street tacos.  Maybe fish, or beef or pork, or all three, with guac, sour cream and good cheese.

None of this changes the fact that Jill Biden is an idiot and should be deservedly mocked when she displays her ignorance so transparently.  She is entitled, over educated (well past her intellect) and it seems, vindictive. It seems that there was a retired 3-star general who had his contract suspended over an innocuous tweet about Jill.

If Jill had wanted to remain n the background and try to maintain her privacy, that would be okay with the majority of the American people.  But, she put herself in front of crowds and says stupid things.  We have an absolute right to call her on it.

Breakfast Tacos?

 It seems that our over credentialed First Lady, you know, the one who is married to the guy who masquerades as President while running an international crime family?  Yeah, her.

It seems that she pissed off the entire Hispanic community recently by referring to them as "tacos".

Smooth move, Jill.  The Democrats are already bleeding Hispanic voters over policy issues, and now you personally insult them?  That's a great move.

The Pendulum

 Over at PJMedia, the Morning Briefing talks about the reckoning that large, Democrat led cities are facing after the 2020 summer-of-mostly-peaceful-violence.  In the analysis, Kruiser talks about the Minneapolis PD, which is struggling to retain officers and is currently  He links to a piece by Athena Thorne.

Unless you were in a coma, you heard about the fine, upstanding Minneapolis citizen, George Floyd, who ingested a lethal dose of fentanyl and passed away after fighting with cops and being subdued with one officer’s knee on his neck. Fiery riots and lengthy jail sentences for the officers ensued. Unsurprisingly, two years on, the Minneapolis Police Dept. is more than 100 sworn officers short of the minimum legal requirement of 731. MPD currently employs 629 officers; compare this to the 902 sworn who served there just weeks before the Floyd death.

It's not surprising that when politicians and others vilify police, the agency suffers.  The remaining officers have to work harder to cover what needs to be covered.  If, hypothetically, a city needs 200 sworn officers to cover the patrol zones and investigate crimes, and that department finds itself with 150 officers, something has to be left undone. Police chiefs in those departments are loath to cut officers from politically visible details (Like the Mayor's security detail), so he had to cut somewhere else.

It is rank hypocrisy on th Mayor's part to rail against the police and live under the very umbrella of security that the police provide.  Especially when he (or she) enjoys a personal protection detail.  Yet, that is where many cities find themselves today

Biden Is Decrepit

 Joe Biden is decrepit, and everyone knows it.  His wife knows it, the Democrats know it, his base knows it.  A recent poll of Democrats think that he should not run in 2024.  The link to the video is here.

64% of Democrats thinks he should sit this one out.  Most of the rest of us think he should have sat the last one out.  There is no way Joe Biden is capable of fulfilling his duties.  The man is an embarrassment to the country, and he is especially embarrassing to those who voted for him.

Transitions

 When Belle and I built the shop, we had three purposes in mind.  First, an area to shoot Cowboy Fast Draw.  Second, a big area with a kitchen to host gatherings.  Third, an area for projects.

This morning I started breaking the shop out of range mode, and began the transition to family gathering mode.  I'm not nearly through yet, but the place opened up nicely.  Tomorrow we are hosting some of my family who is in town for a few days.  This weekend, we're hosting Belle's family for a mini family reunion.

That flag hanging from the rafters has an interesting story. It once draped a veteran's coffin, and I acquired it at an auction.  The family didn't want it any more. I brought it home and put it in the shop, where it serves an honored role.  I don't know who the veteran was, but that flag hangs over the range and we say the Pledge of Allegiance to it at the beginning of every club meeting.

I gotta run to the Dollar Store.  I need some cleaning supplies and some of those cheap table cloths they sell.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 He needs a grooming, no doubt about it.  He'll get one on the 13th.

Pure Ignorance

 This photo is making the rounds, and there is so much ignorance here, I'm not sure if this is real, or trolling.  This is just double ignorant. In the first place, I've never heard of anything called "armored infantry".  There is mechanized infantry, and there is light infantry, and there is armor.  But, then the photo sends everything sideways.

Uh, no.  Just no. There is actually some debate on whether that button is even a good idea on an AR, and mine doesn't have one.  All of the rifles I carried in the military had one, but I refused to use it.

‘Gutfeld!’ shares the week’s ‘Leftovers’ of jokes

Some of these are really good.  I liked the one about The View hosts.

Summer Corn

 There comes a time in the summer when the corn comes in, and you have to work it when it comes, or lose it forever. Rural folk understand this.  Last week my daughter brought me the overflow from a picking of corn, and today Belle decided to process it.  Clean the ears well, blanch them in boiling water, then cool then rapidly in ice water.  Then, we cut them off the cob, and "milked" the cobs to get the sugar out of it.

The net product was a gallon freezer bag full of cut kernels. Tomorrow, Belle will add real butter and seasonings (salt and pepper) to make fresh cut-off-the-cob creamed corn.  She will serve it with a chicken-and-rice dish, and fresh baked rolls.

If the assemblage doesn't like that, Popeye's is just down the road.

Saturday Morning HEadlines

 Reading the news this morning.

It seems that a group of protestors harassed Justice Kavanaugh earlier this week while he attempted to dine at Morton's steak house in Washington DC.

The Morton’s steakhouse chain ripped a group of protesters who targeted Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh while he dined in its Washington DC restaurant earlier this week, calling the demonstration “an act of selfishness and void of decency.”

Void of decency.  I like that. 

Then, there is this healine.:

Nuclear war would create ‘dire’ worldwide hellscape: scientists

The article details the devastation to the food chain under a nuclear winter, but it fails to mention the up-side.  People would not be concerned with global warming.  Or gender issues.  Just finding food would tend to focus their thoughts.

Well, enough of that.  I have Saturday to do.  Ya'll be careful out there.

Checking The Weather

 It's hot in central Louisiana, as is proper for the middle of July, and as we do here, I checked the National Hurricane Center for their current activity.  It seems that the Atlantic basin is quiet.

No activity for the next 48 hours.  We'll take it.  We are currently moving into what is historically the height of the hurricane season.

Headlines

 It seems that the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Boris Johnson, has resigned.  The tale is complicated, but it seems that he couldn't keep his story straight and they caught him in a few lies.  Many of his ministers resigned in disgust and there is reason to believe that the Queen has lost confidence in him. Say what you will abut the Queen, but she still holds great power in her dominion.

In other news, some WNBA star plead guilty this morning in Russia.  Evidently she had some cannabin oil in her luggage and faces 10 years in prison for smuggling contraband.  She hopes Biden can get her out.  The headline doesn't say which Biden, and I'm wondering if she will call Joe, or Hunter?  It's an interesting question, and we'll see how it goes.

They Can't Spell It

 Kamala Harris visited New Orleans over the weekend, to attend some hoity-toity culture festival.  And, she's being mocked because the backdrop misspelled Louisiana.

That is about what I expect of New Orleans, which all true Louisianans know is a third-world hell hole.

On The Border

 Newsmax, along with a few other news organizations, continue to cover the chaos on the border.  The policy of allowing unrestricted illegal migration is purely  bonkers.  Laws are being broken wholesale every day.

Whatsisname Majorkis, the titular head of DHS is either unwilling or incapable of enforcing immigration law, which is one of his major duties.  Hopefully early next year, the Senate will impeach him and indict him for willful malfeasance.  Perhaps a few years in a federal pen will be an object lesson to people who ignore the law.  It's going to take us decades to fix the mess he created.

So, the Highland Park GUy

 This fool climbed a ladder to get on top of a building an opened fire on a group of people waiting for an Independence Day parade.  I'm not going to use his name but look at this fool.

They are saying that he may have egressed the scene dressed as a woman.  Really?  What do the local women look like?  Do they all have beards? I mean, c'mon, man.  This guy has Antifa written all over him. Literally.  Antifa tattoos.  He describes himself as "woke".

The first time I saw this guy's photo, I thought that he was going for the Manson look-alike award.

He'll fit right in at the state prison.  If he makes it that far.

What Are We Going TO Do ABout Joe?

 That seems to be the question some of the Democrat power-brokers are asking about Joe Biden.

Common political wisdom is that the Dems are going to take a shellacking in the mid-terms . (Note to Republicans; don't get cocky) Historically, presidents have lost support during the midterm elections.  Americans seem to enjoy divided government power.  But, with numbers as low as Joe's, it looks like he is a first term lame duck.

First, we can expect a steady drumbeat of media stories such as the latest from mainstream political reporter Ronald Brownstein. His latest headline: “Is Biden a Man Out of Time?” What Brownsteain’s article makes clear is that the media and the Democratic base wish Biden would be even more aggressively leftist and polarizing.

They may be planning a tipple-envelopment, with the media on one side, the party on the other, and his very own cabinet administering the coup de grace.  The only question then is "What do we do about Kamala?"

How Far Can a Gas Truck & an Electric Ford Lightning Go Towing the Same ...

How does the CHevy Denali stack up against the Ford F150 Lightning while towing a travel trailer?

About like you would expect.  Gas rules when you are working under a load.  Battery technology has made great strides, but it's not ready for prime time yet.

What a Crew

Happy Fourth!

 Happy Fourth of July.  The day that we celebrate our experiment in American exceptionalism.  The day we declared our independence from England.  It started much earlier than that, in April of 1775, but the holiday is based on the date of the declaration.

Friends, family, fish-fries and barbeque.  We all celebrate it in our own way.  Beer and fireworks.  Hot dogs and parades.  It's a day to fly the flag and give thanks to God.  It's the Fourth, a uniquely American holiday.

I'm not sure what Belle and I are doing today, but I'm sure that we are doing it close to the house. We had a big celebration yesterday with family and friends, and today will be a day of relaxation.

Happy Fourth, and we'll see you on the other side.

High Gas Prices

 If you listen to Joe Biden, you know that high gas prices are Russia, RUssia, Russia.

However, if you are sentient, you know that high gas prices are part of a scheme to move us to "green" energy.  Whatever that is.

Ed Driscoll, over at Instapundit, does a round-up of news articles since Biden took over, talking about US energy policy.

There is one graphic that puts the lie to Biden's "Russia" explanation.

Prices were rising steeply under BIden, long before Putin invaded Ukraine.  

Joe Biden is a lying, corrupt, machine politician 

Sunday Morning Dawg

 He needs a grooming, and we have an appointment set for the 13th

 

It's The Bee

 It's the Babylon Bee, but we have to admit that the headline has some merit, if only to highly the current status of the Democrat party in parody.

Democrats Argue That Clarence Thomas Should Only Have 3/5 Of A Vote

The Democrats have hated Clarence Thomas since the day he was nominated to the Court. 

Piddling In The Shop

 It's Saturday, July 2nd, and in three weeks, I am hosting the Louisiana State Championship of Cowboy Fast Draw in Pineville, LA.  Shooters from all over the South are going to show up for three days of shooting.  It behooves me to have my act together.  I have to build two ranges, with backstops, side walls, start lights, sensors, all the geedunk that is required to make a range operate.

I have the hard parts done, but now comes the checking and double-checking. Plenty of lists, lots to make sure that it is all in the correct box so that I can find it all when I get to the venue.  This is the 5th major match I've organized, and it get easier, but it also gets hectic in the last weeks.  It is what it is.

I'm always wondering about what I fogot.  I still need to test the PA system.  And see how many yellow bandannas I have in stock.

Rib Rub

 I'm going to cook a bunch of ribs on Sunday, and today I thought I'd better whip up a batch of my rib rub. It's a recipe I settled on years ago to cook baby back ribs.  It's a fairly easy recipe, that combines sweet, savory, and salty.

I keep it taped to the outside of the jar so I don't loose the recipe, and I substitute sometimes.  Today, for examply, I was out of chili powder, so I substituted some smoked chipotle powder.  It's going to be just fine.

If you're cooking ribs this weekend, feel free to use it, or modify it, or ignore it completely.

Thanks, Joe Biden

 For months we have thought that high gas prices were part of a larger agenda.  Now, they are saying it out loud.  Here is the headline:

High gas prices worth it for 'future of liberal world order,’ White House economics adviser tells CNN

And, that tells us all we need to know.   They still want a new world order, where bureaucrats are not beholden to the voters and they can do to us what they wish.

Democracy Wins

 The Supreme Court loosed another opinion yesterday.  This one involved the EPA and the way it regulates the private sector, specifically, electric energy plants.

This was the Supreme Court's primary objection to the Obama-era limitations on power plants: These limitations were never passed by Congress but imposed by decree. In this, SCOTUS identified a frightening trend that has been building for decades under both parties, and has worked to overcome it; what kind of policies we enact, and how draconian they should be, should be left to the people's representatives, the Court has ruled. Our legislative electeds may not always be the brightest bulbs, but that hardly matters. What matters is that they are accountable to us.

In short, SCOTUS told the EPA that they were over-stepping with their regulatory power.  Major policy should be passed through Congress.  The Greens, of course are in meltdown.

The opinon is here.  

Separation

 The phrase "separation of church and state" has been attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but did not make it into the Constitution.  What the Constitution says, in the First Amendment is:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It doesn't say separation in there anywhere. 

It seems that Rep Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Rep Lauren Boebert of Colorado have been in a kerfluffle over  the issue.

What I know about Kinzinger is that he is a big player in the Jan6 hearings, which tells me that he really does not understand the Constitution. That thing is noting but a show-trial, and ignores little Constitutional concerns like due process and cross-examination.

Tucker Carlson Tonight 6/29/22 FULL | BREAKING FOX NEWS June 29, 2022

Miracles

 Belle and I went to a funeral this morning.  An old friend, Mike, who worked with Belle for many years and was a good friend.  He died Saturday and we buried him this morning.

After the funeral, as we were coming through town, we stopped at a barbeque joint.  Got a brisket sandwich and some potato salad.  I wore a white shirt to the funeral.

After lunch, Belle noticed that the white shirt was still white. No barbeque sauce or meat stains.  It's a small miracle, but one we'll take.

Bingo!

 In the post Dobbs apocalypse, I'm watching the intertubes with barely concealed mirth.  It seems that leftists are learning that having sex may make ytou pregnant.  Horrors!

Heh!  Bingo.  It seems that nowadays the youngsters are earning that there might be consequences to the hook-up culture.  Consequences that have always been there.

Bruce Mitchell's Bayou Gumbo | Blackstone Griddles

I've seen a lot of thing, but I've never seen anyone make roux on a griddle.  I'm going to have to try that this winter, when things get cold and it's time for a gumbo.  Bruce lives on the north shore of Lake Pnchartrain (I think), and he knows what he is doing, but I don't put okra in my gumbo.

But, I am intrigued about the way he made that roux.

Consequences

 This is what happens when we have unrestricted illegal migration, and the Border Patrol is not allowed to patrol sectors.  From PJ Media:

HORROR: At Least 46 Migrants Dead in a Truck, Bodies Sprinkled with Steak Seasoning

I don't know what the steak seasoning has to do with it, but the migrants were found in an 18-wheeler outside San Antonio, TX.

 An abandoned 18-wheeler loaded with roughly 100 Illegal immigrants has been located near Lackland Air Force Base outside of San Antonio, Texas. Thus far, 46 of the migrants are dead and 16 have been hospitalized, four of whom are children. They were all said to be suffering from heat exhaustion and their bodies felt hot to the touch. Many were too weak to move. It wasn’t immediately clear as to what happened to the others, although the truck door was open.

This is Joe Biden's fault.  His pick for DHS Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas is a complete disaster.  He should be fired, then indicted for failing to enforce the immigration law.

Mulling Dobbs

 I think it is interesting that the Supremes, in deciding Dobbs, returnee the issue to the states.

States Rights.  It has been a rallying cry for the entirety of our Republic and is still in vogue today.  Too often, "states rights" has wrongly been thought to be a rallying cry for something nefarious or divisive.  Yet, many folks don't know that "states rights" is actually written into the Constitution.

US Constitution, 10th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

The Dobbs decision looked for a woman's right to an abortion within the text of the Constitution, could not find one, and returned the issue to the states. It really is that simple.  Rather than an over-wrought display of judicial activism, the decision was one of judicial restraint.

The states may now regulate abortion within their borders. Arguments can be made for both sides and the elected representatives will vote on the issues.  This is the American experiment.  For better or worse, this is the way government was supposed to work all along.

Coach Kennedy Wins

 So, there was this coach in Washington State, and after his high school football games, he would pray in the 50-yard line.   Somebody got butt-hurt, and the school district told him to quit.  He didn't and they fired him.  He took it to court, all the way to the Supreme Court.  They ruled today.

I'm paraphrasing here, but basically, the six reasonable judges said, "Bullshit!  That fellow cabn praty anywhere he wants to." 

We conservatives have had a very good week, and it's looking better all the time.

It's Fer Lunch

 We were late getting tomato vines planted this year, and today marked the day that Belle picked the first vine-ripe tomato from her vines, so we sliced one, and fried some bacon.  No lettuce on these sandwiches, just good mayo, tomato and bacon.

It was like a taste from heaven.

Headlines

 This headline showed up in my Yahoo News feed this morning.

More than 1 million voters switch to GOP in warning for Dems

I didn't read the article, but the headline says it all. 

On Human LIfe

In the near-aftermath of the Dobbs decision, it is instructive to look on our recent history and glean some wisdom from it.

In 1968, Pope Paul published an encyclical, Humanae Vitae (On Human Life), in which he set down the Catholic Church's position on contraception's and birth control.  I was 14 years old at the time, and remember the tsunami of emotion that it engendered among the Catholic community.  Birth control was a sin, and good Catholic women looked about for other methods to limit family size.  The '60s were an interesting time.  The Vietnam war had the country divided, the sexual revolution was just kicking off, The Pill had freed women from the immediate threat of pregnancy.  

No one talked of abortion.  It was simply unthinkable.  Unwed pregnancy was a stigma, something no one talked about.  It happened occasionally, and those girls either got married, or moved out of town to have the baby, normally putting it up for adoption.  In 1973, Row cv Wade was decided, and abortion became legal in the US.  It has been hotly debated ever since.  Some states more liberal, some states more conservative, but the debate never really subsided.

Rather than being debated on religious of moral grounds, the debate shifted to the Courts and the legislatures, with the specter of Roe hanging over the arguments.  Abortion was legal, at least in many places.  Roe was decided by nine unelected justices who decided that abortion should be legal.    Many esteemed scholars disagreed, saying that the legal grounds for the decision were flimsy and that the rationale for the decision was flawed.

Now, last week, nine other unelected justices said that the rationale for Roe was flimsy, and the original decision was flawed.  Six of those justices decided to return the debate to the states, to the legislatures, and to the people.  The debate is not yet over, not yet decided, and the aftershocks of the question will continue to rumble across the political landscape.

This debate did not begin in 1973, with Rose, nor in 1968 with Humana Vitae, nor even in 1050 with the interlocution of oral contraceptives.  We have been talking about this for a long time, and the Dobbs decision is simply the latest wrinkle in the fabric of our country.  Perhaps we are forever doomed to argue the question, and I suspect that this question may never be answered by man but should perhaps be left to God.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 He isn't dead, just taking a nap on a hot, summer afternoon.

Hot

 4:00 this afternoon under the porch.  Yeah, it's hot in central Louisiana.

It's The Bee

 Dems Pause January 6 Hearings To Call For Insurrection

Heh!  From the nation's paper of record.  I think they are calling it the Summer of Rage.

Ingraham: This is sheer lunacy

I didn't know that Laura had clerked for Justice Thomas!  Wow.

Bye-Bye Rowe

 It seems that the Supreme Court released their decision in Dobbs, overturning Rowe and Casey.

The news is blowing up everywhere, and I'm sure that with all the hysteria there will be some reasoned analysis.  However, there will be a high noise-to-signal ratio.  The left is predictably melting down.

Lack Of Trust

 In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in NYRPA v Buren, we are seeing a total melt-down of the Democratic leadership.  You would think, based on the news coverage that the Supreme Court had legalized mayhem and manslaughter.  Nothing could be further from the case.  

New York City mayor Adams thinks that it is a disaster.

VP Harris thinks that the decision goes against the Constitution.

President Biden fumbles his way through a disjointed response, but he is disappointed.

From my own cursory reading of the opinion, I was struck by how many times the justices referred to "law-abiding" people.  This decision only affects law-abiding people, just as restrictive gun laws only affect law-abiding people. Murder and mayhem are still illegal.

As I mull the implications, realizing that this decision doesn't affect me, except in a small way, I am struck by the realization that the folks who are outraged over this decision don't trust us.

President Biden, VP Harris, and Mayor Adams don't trust law-abiding people to keep and bear arms.  That is the lesson from this case.  They don't trust us.  I have suspected this for many years, and it is a scathing indictment of the gun-grabbers.  

Let Freedom Ring

 It seems that the Supreme Court issued a ruling on a gun case we have all been waiting for.  According to PJMedia:

The majority opinion, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, held that New York’s “proper cause” requirement for obtaining a concealed carry license violated the Constitution because it “prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms.”

That sounds right.  I haven't read the whole opinion, but I understand that Justice Alito gave the liberals what-for in his concurrence.

A link to the full opinion is here. 

Summer Time

 Things are getting warm outside. Checking the weather forecast for today, we see sunny and hot.

That's not something you see every day.  Checking the humidity, we learn that it is a soggy 82% out there, although Belle commented that it doesn't seem as humid as it did yesterday.  Tomorrow's forecast is no better.

There is some work I want to do in the yard, and I intend to get after it, and be done by 10:00.  Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun.

Oh, and I don't want to hear any of that Glowball Warmeing bullshit.  It gets hot in Louisiana during the summer.

14 Senate Republicans Agreed To Gun Control That We Need To Stop

Boosting the signal here.

What Is This Bullshit

 It seems that the US Navy has put out a new training video, telling sailors about the proper use of personal pronouns.  I shit you not.  Click on the link if you would like.  But be prepared to suppress the gag reflex.

I've never been a sailor-man, but I have great respect for those folks who take grey ships in harms way. I had always thought that the mission of the Navy was to defeat our nation's enemies, not make junior enlisted sailors feel loved or respected.

When I was a troop leader in the black-boot Army, I didn't give a screaming shit what the junior enlisted thought of me.  They earned my respect by being good soldiers and I reflected the respect that they had earned.  

It appears to me that the Navy is going overboard with this bullshit, and I suspect that the Chinese are laughing their asses off.

The Lady Death Sniper

Summer Solstice

 I am reminded that today is the summer solstice.  The longest day in the year.  Or at least the day with the most daylight minutes. Tomorrow will be a bit shorter.  And, today is the first day of summer.  Such as it is.  Here in Louisiana we have been in summer for a month or more.

We turn our eyes toward the Atlantic basin and see that there are no tropical cyclones anywhere.  That is sure to change, but we'll take our good news where we can find it.

I have a couple of pounds of red beans in the slow cooker, along with a bit of good sausage.  Red Beans and Rice isn't generally a summer meal, but it is what Belle asked for and I'm happy to cater to her every whim.  With inflation taking its toll, I'm sure that dried beans will be on a lot of meus before long.

Y'all stay our of the heat.  Between the heat and humidity (currently 70%), it is a sure-fire recipe for heat exhaustion.

Everything Lousy

 So, now, Joe is hitting us with platitudes.

“Out of everything lousy,” Joe Biden told reporters yesterday, “something good will happen.”

That's right, Joe.  Americans always look for a silver lining.  What Joe meant is that America will be better off when we completely transition to renewable energy.  What Joe fails to understand is that Americans are feeling a lot of pain right now, and are looking for more immediate relief.  Like a change of leadership.

Joe Biden has proven that he is manifestly unfit for matinal leadership.  Open borders, rampant inflation, high gas prices, schools in crisis, soaring crime rates, all these happened because we let Democrats run the country for a while.  Joe is bleeding support from every demographic.  His approval rates are so far underwater that the Navy has to use sonar to gauge the depth.

Joe's big problem is that the pain is recurring, every time we go to the gas pump.

I paid $4.299 for gas yesterday.  Joe and his apologists might say that there are a number of factors that lead to high gas prices, and I'm sure that is true.  But, I know what I was paying two years ago.  Less than half that amount.  If it takes many factors to raise the price of gas, the only rational explanation is that the Biden administration has taken many steps to raise the price of gasoline.  It's his fault, it sits oh his desk.  

Joe Biden is a complete and utter failure as a president.  America know it. 

Junteenth

 Juneteenth is a celebration that marks the end of slavery in the United States.  It stems from the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, TX.  It is right and proper that we celebrate the freedom of a great portion of the population of the United States.  Freedom should be celebrated in all its glory, regardless of the population that was affected.  Freedom affects us all.  

It is appropriate for us to celebrate the freedom of people everywhere.  In a few short weeks, we will celebrate the 4th of July, the day that our nation was founded and that we declared our freedom as a people.

Let Freedom Ring.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 It's a hot summer day, and the dog has found a cool spot under an air-conditioning vent.  If we lived in a house with floor vents, he would be laying on the vent.  He needs a grooming, and we'll schedule one next week.

Round-Up

 Full summer is upon us.  80F by 8:00.  Humidity is a mild 75%.  It's like working in a sauna.

It's Saturday, and the sound of lawn equipment echoes through the neighborhood.  I've been spraying herbicide, a toxic mixture of chemicals that probably are not good for a dog, but they are decidedly lethal on vegetation, which is the whole point.

We have to get it done early, because later today it will be simply too hot for strong exertion.  I'm indoors, taking a break right now, and I'll get back out there for another hour and finish spraying that toxic cloud.  Then, a shower, clean jeans, and blissful AC for the rest of the day.  We'll see if Belle wants to go get some lunch, and get some groceries for the cooking we do on Sunday.

Tomorrow is Father's Day, and I'm not excited about it.  My kids show me that they love me all the time, and I consider Father's Day just another Hallmark holiday.  

So, to all you Dad's out there, keep doing what you do and don't worry about it if your kids are wrapped up in their own families on Father's Day.  We raised them to be independent, productive citizens.  If they are doing that, you did your job.  Kick back and enjoy a peaceful Sunday.

Remember that Guy?

 You know, the guy who wanted to assassinate Kavanaugh.  Reportedly, the put some stuff in a bag, traveled across the US, and got to withing a block of Kavanaugh's house before he realized that his mission was doomed to fail.  So, he called the police and turned himself in.  Yeah, him.

Well, he has been indicted, and faces a long prison sentence.

As a retired cop, I wonder what his defense will look like.  As a cop, I was always taught that a successful crime required Means, Motive, and Opportunity.  If I were on the defense team, I would argue that the Opportunity never existed.  At some point during those early morning hours, the defendant himself realized that he did not have the Means, so the Motive went away as well.  As for the argument, I wold simply point to the fact that he turned himself in.  I'm not sure why he made the call.  He could have more easily just turned around and gone home.  No one would have been the wiser.

So, where is the crime?  Now, everyone who has worked around the criminal justice system knows that even a basically competent DA can indict a ham sandwich, but the indictment is simply the first step.  I'm not defending the guy, but if I were, I would argue that at the moment he called the police, he knew that his mission was a falure, and that he had neither Means, Motive, nor Opportunity. He would have been better off calling Uber, but he may not have had the cash and simply wanted a ride.

This is an interesting case, and I'll be watching to see how it works out.

Online Policy Task FOrce

 It seems that the White House is still worried about misinformation, disinformation, whatever they are calling it these days. So, they are rolling out a new task force to combat it.

The White House on Thursday launched a task force focused on the prevention of online abuse, marking one of the most significant steps the Biden administration has taken to examine the connection between digital vitriol and violence.

What could go wrong?  They are putting Kamala in charge of it, a woman with a wide experience in screwing up basic assignments.  She did such a sterling job in finding root causes, on controlling the southern border, and on a wide variety of other basic jobs.  Everything she touches disintegrates into chaos.

This is yet another tone-deaf move from the Xicen administration.  It reeks of censorship. It seems to go agains tthe very foundation of our republic.  So, of course, they put Kamala in charge.

Summer

Summer starts next week, but it is upon us now.  Currently the mercury stands at 97F with 50% humidity, which makes a heat index of 109. The low humidity surprises me here in swamp central Louisiana.  It might be higher in my back yard because of the swimming pool that is steadily evaporating.

This time of year, the weather-weenies always throw in a chance of a thunderstorm.  A humid, rising air mass is made-to-order for a stray thunderstorm.  This is precisely the weather that air-conditioning was invented for.  I stand firm in my belief that refrigeration is one of the great marvels of the 20th century, standing right alongside the electric light. The name William Cullen should stand alongside Thomas Edison.

As is our custom, Belle had declared Happy Hour and the smoking lamp is lit.

Get A Grip, People.

 The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to change the name of monkey pox.

Monkeypox is poised to get a new name, the World Health Organization says, after scientists recently criticized the current name as "discriminatory and stigmatizing." The researchers say it's also inaccurate to name versions of the virus after parts of Africa.

Really?  Which part of Africa is Monkey? 

The WHO is working with experts "on changing the name of monkeypox virus, its clades and the disease it causes," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing on the outbreak on Tuesday.

Don't these bastards have anything better to do?  Who knew that there are experts on name-change?   And, how might one get that job?  I might like to apply.

DEF?

Evidently there is this stuff called Diesel Exhaust Fluid. (DEF)  Termite sent me a link, and at first, I thought he was pulling my leg, so I started googling around, and evidently it's a real thing that is it added to a diesel exhaust system to reduce emissions.

Trucks made since 2010 require it, and in Biden's economy we are looking at a shortage of DEF.  Our interconnected economy needs lots of things to keep working, and our government doesn't know half of what they need to know to meddle in it.

Remove cat before flight

It's an oldie, but a goodie.  I bet that the guy added a pre-flight checklist item.  Remove cat before flight.

Lawn Mower Gas

 I just went down to the local merchant and picked up 10 gallons of lawn mower gas. $5.299 a gallon.  I use non-ethanol in my small engines.  It gives me better service than the alcohol gasoline we buy at most stations today.

When I was done filling the gas cans, I stuck the nozzle into my truck fill tube and ran the meter up to an even $60.00.  I use that truck very infrequently, so I keep non-ethanol in that tank as well.  The guys who work in agriculture around here are feeling the crunch of gas prices. It takes fuel to run equipment.

Joe Biden is killing us.  Slowly, with bad policies.  

Red Flag Laws

With all the talk about red flag laws in the interest of preventing mass shootings, it is instructive to look back on what the Supreme Court has said about warrantless searches in their recent history.   The Court ruled unanimously that the search and seizure were unconstitutional.  Something about due process, warrants, and the proper role of police  while conducting something called "community caretaking".

In 2020 the Court ruled on a case our of Rhode Island.  It seems that a man and woman, married, were having a verbal dispute in the home.  The man, at some point, produced a firearm, put it on the table before him and said "Go ahead and shoot me.  Get it over with." or words to that effect.  The woman left the home to spend the night in a local motel.  The next morning, the woman could not reach her husband by telephone and called the local police to perform a welfare check.  She told the police that the husband might be suicidal.  

The police responded, and in the course of the response, seized two handguns from the residence.

The case is Canglia v Strom and you can red it here.  While the ruling or opinions never say "red flag law", it talks at great length about how the police react to functions that are not strictly law enforcement related.

Held: Neither the holding nor logic of Cady justifies such warrantless searches and seizures in the home. Cady held that a warrantless search of an impounded vehicle for an unsecured firearm did not violate the Fourth Amendment.  In reaching this conclusion, the Court noted that the officers who patrol the “public highways” are often called to discharge noncriminal “community caretaking functions,” such as responding to disabled vehicles or investigating accidents.  413 U. S., at 441. But searches of vehicles and homes are constitutionally different, as the Cady opinion repeatedly stressed. Id., at 439, 440– 442. The very core of the Fourth Amendment’s guarantee is the right of a person to retreat into his or her home and “there be free from unreasonable governmental intrusion.”  Florida v. Jardines, 569 U. S. 1, 6. A recognition of the existence of “community caretaking” tasks, like rendering aid to motorists in disabled vehicles, is not an open-ended license to perform them anywhere.  Pp. 3–4.

I am certainly no attorney, but a full reading of the holdings and opinions in the link above would lead to the conclusion that red flag laws might violate the Fourth Amendment.

SCOUTS Watch

According to SCOTUSblog.com, nothing yet on the Dobbs case. 

I don't know why they are hanging on to it.  When it comes out, the crap will hit the fan, one way or the other.  Regardless of the eventual final ruling, with the fact of the earlier leaked draft opinion, you can bet that legal scholars will have them side by side, line by line, to see what has changed. If nothing else, it will be an interesting insight into how much political protest plays into the decision process.

I've been told that Chief Justice John (hack, spit) Roberts is overly concerned about the reputation and the legacy of the Court.  I think we can say that it doesn't matter now.  Half the country thinks that the Court is right about half the time.  The other half thinks that the Court is right about half the time.  What that tells me is that the whole country believes that the Court is wrong half the time.

It's going to be interesting to watch.

Sunday Lunch

 Sunday lunch is a thing around here.  For as long as I can remember, my grandparents had a large Sunday lunch.  Roast beef, mashed potatoes, meatballs,  real homemade mac and cheese, Gravy, English peas, and other sides.  They would never know who they would feed, but the house was always full of friends and family.

When Belle and I got hitched, we started the same kind of thing.  Sunday lunch is a big deal, but the meu changes depending on how we feel.  It might be anything, but we always cook big, because we never really know who is going to show up.  Leftover aren't a problem. Today's menu was chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, yeast rolls, lima beans and ice cream for dessert. We cooked 21 chicken fried steaks, and suitable amounts of everything else.  We fed a dozen people. Friends, family, and grandkids.

I walked over to the serving table a few minutes ago.  Nothing left. Five of the family today was teenage grandkids.  Washing dishes was easy, and I don't have to deal with leftovers.  Not today.

We never know what the menu will be until about Thursday, when Belle and I discuss what we want to cook.  Sunday lunch at PawPaw's house is a big deal, a way to connect with family at least once a week.

And, if they don't like what we're coking, Popeyes is just down the road.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 On the couch in the shop, laying up with Belle as she surfs the internet.

Staying Home

 I was supposed to be on the road today, heading to the New Orleans area with second son to pick up a lathe. He wants a nice metal lathe to put in his shop.  We're not talking about your small tabletop lathe.  He wants something with a bit of heft.

He thought he had found one in the NOLA area, and asked me to ride down with him, to assist with whatever.  I happily agreed.  But, sadly, the seller backed out of the deal.  The deal is broken.  So, Saturday opens up before me without plans. 

The club has a practice shoot this morning, and I'll attend that.  Belle got a new holster and belt in the mail yesterday.  It's a very nice rig by Tin Can Jack out of New York state.  With hip surgery a month ago, she will probably have to re-work her shooting stanceand we'll work on that today.

Pelosi Not Chanrged

 Remember when Paul Pelosi (husband of SanFran Nan) was arrested on May 29th for driving drunk and T-boning another motorist?  Yeah, me too.

I saw a thread yesterday claiming that the charges had been dropped.  The local DA says not true.  No charges have been dropped.

But the claims are false. Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley confirmed in a news release issued on Thursday that the agency has not filed any charges against Pelosi and the case is still under review.

Really!  No charges filed yet.  Case still under review!  What is the holdup?  Did the cop screw up the report?  Is there some flaming technicality that was not observed? 

But, in case you are wondering, the charges have not been dropped.  If charges are never filed, it is impossible to drop them.   Corruption at its finest.

Political Theater

 I understand that there was some sort of political theater last night.  Some sort of fancy show trial.  A beating of a deceased hose.  Oh, it was covered on all the Democrat news channels, live, in prime time.

I wonder if anyone watched.  Americans know that what happened to January 6th was an aberration, a weird protest that got a bit rowdy.  More importantly, Americans know that the January 5th protest was not.  It was not an attempt to subvert the electoral process.

For better or worse, America gave the reins of power to the Democrats during the last election. We faced then, and we face now, serious challenges.  We trusted the Democrats to face those challenges seriously.  Instead, they reverted to progressive policies that ate neither helpful nor rational.  The voters have noticed and are now poised to rebuff then and replace them with what we hope are serious adults who will face the challenges before us.

The United States is a lesser place now than it was in early 2020.  This is purely the fault of the Democrats in power.  Americans have noticed, and no show trial will prevent the reckoning that is sure to come. This prime time, produced political theater only serves to highlight the desperation that the Democrats in Congress now feel coming.  They deserve to be mocked for their absurdity. 

What Is A Woman?

 Matt Walsh, at the Daily Wire famously asked that question in a documentary, and the left-world is going crazy.  I'm no biologist, but I can work a dictionary, and the answer is pretty simple.  A woman is an adult human female.  That is reality, and it will get you cancelled in many circles these days.  As I lurk across the internet these days, I'm seeing a tapestry of threads, from the upcoming Roe decision to the various transgender movements, to discussions about personal choice and free speech.  It's a strange tapestry of competing messages that seems to be vaguely unhinged. Instapundit has a thread on it this morning.

I saw on thread recently that a man who chose reproductive freedom by submitting to a vasectomy was somehow lesser than a man who retained a high sperm count.

In 1984, I made the decision to get the snip.  My wife and I were very happily married, and she was pregnant with our fourth child.  I figured that the procedure would save me a lot of moony over the years, if only that I wouldn't be buying diapers or remodeling a nursery.  I got it done on a Friday at about noon and was back to work on Monday morning.

Best money I ever spent.  I have never once regretted the decision.  My body, my choice.  Some might way that my choice affected a woman's reproductive choice.  Maybe so, but I never hid the fact, and if a woman wanted to get pregnant, she was free to do so, just not with me.

Crickets

 It seems that some guy with a weapon was arrested this morning, in the neighborhood new Justice Kavanaugh's home in Maryland.

A man with a weapon was detained by police early Wednesday morning near Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Maryland home after making threats against the Supreme Court justice, according to federal and local officials.

Well, good.  That is the way it is supposed to work. 

Whistleblower claims FBI is purging conservatives

Congressman Jim Jordan tells us that he has had six (6) FBI agents come forward and describe a purge of agents who hold conservative values.

I remember when the FBI was the premier law enforcement agency in the US, maybe the world.  If what is being reported is even close to being true, then they have morphed into a political arm of the Democratic party.  Kind of like a KGB lite.

This is a damned shame.  Law enforcement is supposed to be apolitical. To enforce the law based on the elements of a crime, regardless of the political leanings of the suspect.  Ever since Comey went on TV and gave Hillary a pass on email security issues, their failure to prosecute the crimes found on the Huter laptop, their labeling of parents at school board meetings as terrorists, and their handling of the Jan 6th Capitol tour, it appears that they have become a political organization with arrest powers.

Limited Research

 I was paying bills this morning and started doing a little basic research.  On electric vehicles, based on my current kilowatt/hour costs for my area.  According to my electricity provider, I'm paying $0.1289 per kilowatt hour for residential electricity.

Based on my figures, if I were charging a Chevy Volt in my garage, it would cost me $5.72 per day to fully charge that vehicle.  That would add $171.60 to my current monthly bill.

I was listening to a local talk show host last week.  He had a caller who drives a fully electric pickup truck and that caller said that it costs him $16.00 per day to fully charge that truck at the end of the day.

I filled up my van yesterday.  It cost me $60.00 to drive 335 miles.  I fill up once a week, depending on lots of things.

A buddy and I were talking Sundary.  There may come a time when the technology makes good sense to switch to electric vehicles, and battery technology is certainly improving.  But it doesn't make sense now, even with inflated gasoline prices.

In parts of the country, I don't know if the grid would handle the extra stress of charging large numbers of EVs.  Some places can't handle peak-hours load, as evidenced by rolling blackouts in some parts of the country.  There are lots of issues associated with switching from gas to electric.  Let's not even talk about the cost of fully replacing the hatteries.

According to polls I've seen, the #1 concern is inflation, and gas prices are mostly all tied to inflation.  It is the issue that is going to drive elections.

Thanks, Joe

 It's not the highest I have ever paid for gas, but it's the highest I have ever paid for gas n Louisiana.  

This is the same pump where I paid considerably less than $2 per gallon on Trump's last day in office.

Poor Brandon

 It seems that our President is upset that his poll numbers are worse than Orange Man's numbers.

“In crisis after crisis, the White House has found itself either limited or helpless in its efforts to combat the forces pummeling them. Morale inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is plummeting amid growing fears that the parallels to Jimmy Carter, another first-term Democrat plagued by soaring prices and a foreign policy morass, will stick,” reports Politico. “The president has expressed exasperation that his poll numbers have sunk below those of Donald Trump, whom Biden routinely refers to in private as ‘the worst president’ in history and an existential threat to the nation’s democracy.”

Well, the reason those numbers are so bad is because the Brandon administration sucks so bad, that the numbers accurately reflect the suckiness of his presidency.  Ol' Joe is wrong about everything, including who he thinks the worst president in American history is.  All he really needs to do is look in a mirror to see the worst president in my lifetime, which includes Nixxon and Carter. The Brandon administration makes those guys look competent.1

Sunday Morning Dawg

 A dog and his cat.  He thinks that the cat is a squeaky toy.

Milsurp sights....Theory and Practice ..Anvil 063

I'm going to leave this right here so that I can find it later.  I was having this discussion with my grandson a couple of weeks ago.  How sights work.

New Winchester Lung Blower

 As seen on the Book of Face.

I'll have to start checking my vendors. I'd like to pick up a box of that.

Interesting

 It seems that that strange tropical storm that we're watching is doing it ass-backwards.  It came out of the Pacific, crossed southern Mexico on an eastward track and is continuing northeast.  That's odd.

It is what it is, and we'll keep an eye on it.

Here We Go Again

Roughly five months from Congressional elections, with the economy in shambles, no baby formula on the shelves, the southern border wide open, a President who can't complete a cogent sentence, and what appears to me a total loss of confidence from the electorate, the Democrats are looking to push a fight.  And they are willing to tell us outright what they plan to do.

They want your guns.  Below, Rep Mondaire Jones tells us exactly how they intend to do it.  Ram it through the House, end the Senate filibuster, and expand the Supreme Court.

That is an ambitious agenda, and they intend to get it done before the November elections?  Good luck with that.

I understand that SanFran Nan is going to introduce legislation this morning that will be every bit as bad as you imagine.  An "assault weapon" ban, limits on magazine capacity, universal backgrounds checks, among other outrages.  Of course, they are going to exempt their own security staff, because hypocrisy is the main agenda of the Democrats.  Laws are only for the downtrodden, not the elite members of Congress.

The coming months are going to be very interesting.

Busy Day

 We had a medical appointment for Belle, and then we went looking for a contractor for a remodel.  Found an Oriental buffet for lunch.  Just now, we were sitting on the back porch watching thunderstorms pop up around us.  Belle declared Happy Hour, an ancient and honored tradition in the Deep South, when the weather sends you indoors during the late afternoon.

Who am I to quibble with tradition?  The thunder is rolling outside, and we have a cool place to shelter.

Hurricane Season

 Hurricane Season begins each year on June 1, and today we turn our eyes to the trops to see what is going on.  According to the National Hurricane Center

Two storms on the Atlantic map.  That red X, reportedly, came out of the Pacific and across tthe Yucatan.  

Here we go again, right on schedule.