Fox News is reporting that Trumps' former VP Mike Pence is expected to launch a campaign bid next week.
I like Pence. He has always struck me as an honorable, moral and ethical man. Of course, I like Trump, and DeSantis, and Tim Scott. However, there is room for only one nominee.
It's going to be a crowded field. Trump seems to be the going-away favorite right now.
Fox News is reporting that the BIden administration is giving grants to study the rise of white supremacy and far-right extremism. Federal money. Your tax dollars.
The watchdog group who found this outrage has published a report, detailing how your tax money is being spent to study how such organizations as Fox News, the NRA, and the Republican party are radicalizing us all.
The Department of Homeland Security is using this pyramid to define what a terrorist looks like.
I was talking with a fried last week about motorcycles. I haven't ridden in fifteen years, but I told him that if I decided to start riding again, I'd probably trot down to the dealer and find a clean, used Harley.
This morning I got up to surf the internet with my coffee and find that Harley Davidson has teamed up with Budweiser to release a limited edition Budweiser can.
WTF?
This has to be one of the dumbest marketing moves since Dylan posted his picture on a can of Bud Light. It wasn't that long ago. Even the marketing guys at H-D surely could not have forgotten so soon.
So, the marketing execs at Harley Davidson watch Budweiser destroy its flagship brand and decide to hold hands with them as they jump off the cliff? I admit I am amused. And a bit baffled. WTF?
A new study finds that left-wing extremists have psychological issues.
Left-wing extremism is linked to toxic, psychopathic tendencies and narcissism, according to a new study published to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychology.
In layman's terms: They're crazy.
I didn't start an engine today. Not a lawnmower, nor automotive. I piddled around in the shop for a while, but really didn't do anything of substance. I basically pissed away the day. But, I'm retired and I can get away with that occasionally.
Belle started playing with a recipe that she found on the interubes, and over the course of a couple of hours, came up with what she says is a really simple French bread recipe. She gave me a little taste when it came out of the oven, and OhmyGod. It's good. Buttery, with a nice crust, and very light on the inside.
Tomorrow, we're hosting the club for our Monthly Match, so I'll be busy for most of the day.
The Association is talking about different match formats, and we will try one out tomorrow. It caps the number of shots n an individual bout to 13 shots. Many matches are over in five shots, but sometimes they tend to go longer. We'll try it with the club tomorrow and see how everyone likes it.
I was trying to remember the last time I've been in a Target store. Maybe five years? Belle and I were traveling, and she was looking for something specific, and she thought Target would have it, so we swung through a Target store, and found what she was looking for. So, okay, I can't join the Target boycott.
Likewise, Bud Lte. I didn't drink it before they became a marketing course case study, (Marketing 2053 -How to Wreck a Brand with one ad)
Likewise the LA Dodgers. They are involved in a marketing kerfuffle, and have invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to help them celebrate Pride Week. I did some basic research into this Order and don't think that they are recognized by the Vatican.
I don't go to Dodgers games, I don't shop at Target, and I don't drink Bud Lte. Not because I want to join the boycott, but because I didn't do those things before the boycott. I'm not a customer. But, as a guy whose degrees are in Business, I have to wonder what their marketing departments were thinking.
I hear that Ron DeSantis is going to throw his hat into the ring tonight. He'll be what? The sixth of seventh to announce for the Republican nomination? They are all following Trump, who holds a commanding lead in the polls right now.
I like DeSantis. And, I like Tim Scott. And some of the others. But Trump is the head gorilla in the band of wannabe presidents. I agree that lots can happen in the next year, but if the primaries were held today, Trump would be the guy.
I'm wondering why Scott and DeSantis are getting in now? They are both young enough to wait four years. Trump sucks all the oxygen out of the room, leaving no space for anyone else.
It's going to be an interesting primary.
The Congress is requesting a specific document from the FBI, The FBI doesn't want to turn it loose, citing "sources and methods", The document was origianally reported to Senator Grassley by a whistleblower. The House Oversight committee believes that the document details a criminal scheme by someone named Biden.
The FBI is basically flipping the bird to Congress. They believe that their document is more important than the responsibility that Congress has to supervise their activities. Perhaps they should be more concerned with "dollars and cents" rather than "sources and methods",
There will be, in the next several moths, an annual review of appropriation. Congress could easily slash the budget of the BFI, or any other federal agency who stonewalls the legitimate oversight. The House holds the power of the purse, and the various agencies should be reminded of that from time to time. I do recognize that we don't spend much money on the CCC or the WPA anymore. Perhaps in the near future, we will find that the services of the FBI are no longer needed.
The grandkids are getting older, and they don't use the pool as much as they used to, but it is still a hole in the backyard. With the cool spring we've had, the pool didn't start to "green" up until recently. Our pool is a salt pool and the device that turns salt to chlorine doesn't work until the water temp gets to a certain point, about 60F.
Belle doesn't like that florescent green color in her pool. She much prefers a blue tint to the water. So, yesterday, I shocked the pool with an addition of raw chlorine. This morning, I added afour bags of pool salt, or 200 lbs. That is normally the amount required to kick-start the maintenance. I'll wait a day or so, then start balancing pH.
I've heard it said that a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into. LIkewise, a pool is a hole in the ground that you pour money into. Thankfully, as pools go, salt is fairly cheap. And, as our pool tends to go basic, muriatic acid is also fairly cheap.
Listening to the news this morning while running errands, I heard a report that the military has some small nuclear reactors under development. These are small enough to put in a shipping container and load on a flat bed truck.
We put these things in submarines, and I've often wondered why we don't have mobile nuclear power plants to use for far-flung military sites and for use during natural disasters. The only recent article I can find is here.
I know that there are a lot of technical hurdles to overcome, and the military would have to train folks to maintain and poerate these things, but this should not be a hurdle that is too high to vault.
Of course, I am almost totally ignorant about such things, so maybe I am way off base.
Both of these from Fox News.
Biden declares himself 'blameless,' demands GOP submit to his debt demandsu
Yeah, right, Joe. The House has a bill on the table that will get you our of this mess. Tell the Senate to pass it and then you can sign it. Problem solved. But you would rather grandstand.
Harris' ability to manage WH AI response in doubt after Musk comments, voters say
Yeah, Kamala has done such a great job with everything else she's been given. I'm sure she will be able to handle artificial intelligence. She probably thinks that AI stands for Artificial Insemination. I'm sure she will get right on that.
The weather is getting warm now in the afternoons, so we tend to hang out in the hop, where it is cool. We have a couple of old office chairs out there, and the dawg likes to lie in one while I'm surfing the intertubes.
