Tuesday Overnight Open Thread (11/19/19)

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

"You know, sometimes politicians who are stuck in Washington, and don't take the time to get out, don't get out to where real people live and play and work, they lose touch with the reality of where the heartbeat of our country is," she told a crowd at a recent campaign rally. "The heartbeat of our country, it's certainly not in Washington, D.C. The heartbeat of our country is in rooms like this. In communities like yours all across this country, standing up and saying it is time now for our voices to be heard." Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)

Quote II

People are excited about Buttigieg. He's fresh, he's new. He's gay. He's a serviceman. He served in Afghanistan. He's married, and a very, I mean unless you are a homophobe, he's married in a very traditional marriage, you know? Totally monogamous, and that should appeal to the silent majority, whoever they are. Joy Behar

Quote III

For generations, our community has been fed empty promises by Democratic candidates who pledged to fight for minorities and help the African-American community, only to ignore us after rising to power. Herman Cain

Quote IV

If a gay man doesn’t want to have sex with someone who has a vagina and a lesbian doesn’t want to have sex with someone who has a dick, they are not being transphobic. They’re being — how shall I put this? — gay. Andrew Sullivan

***

Hillary Clinton Nacho President. And her "foundation" is hemorrhaging like the stuck pig she is.

This is evidenced nowhere more in the fact that the Clinton Foundation has gone from turning over a revenue of almost $400 million in 2013, to actually LOSING almost $33 million since Donald Trump wiped the floor with Hillary in 2016.

Newly released tax records show that the foundation reported a loss of almost $17 million in 2018, to add to the net loss of $16.1 million the previous year in 2017.

The numbers don’t lie.

Total revenue reported for 2018 was just $30.7 million, less than a tenth of what was being pulled in While Hillary was Secretary of State.

So when does the Wicked Witch of The North East hit us deplorables taxpayers up for a bailout?

***

The first male birth control is going to hurt. Of course it is.

Would men endure a shot in the penis to prevent pregnancy? Indian researchers think so.

The Indian Council of Medical Research, a government-funded biomedical research agency, has successfully completed a clinical trial on an injectable male contraceptive, the Hindustan Times reported.

“The product is ready, with only regulatory approvals pending [from the government],” Dr. R.S. Sharma, senior scientist with ICMR, told the local news outlet. “The trials are over, including extended, Phase 3 clinical trials for which 303 candidates were recruited with a 97.3% success rate and no reported side effects. The product can safely be called the world’s first male contraceptive.”

The birth control method, which lasts approximately 13 years, involves injecting a polymer, called styrene maleic anhydride, into the vas deferens, effectively blocking sperm from leaving the testicles. The shot, preceded by a dose of local anesthesia, is designed to supplant a traditional vasectomy.

Which reminds me of the Far Side................

***

Daily cannabis use lowers odds of using illicit opioids among people who have chronic pain

For those using illicit opioids to manage their chronic pain, cannabis may be a beneficial -- and a less dangerous -- alternative, according to new research from the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU)

***

SMOD, is it on its way?

NASA is currently tracking three near-Earth objects (NEOs) due to fly past the Earth on November 20. Worryingly, two of the three were only spotted this past weekend, once again raising tensions over planetary defense.
The first of Wednesday’s cosmic flybys and the largest, measuring 157.5ft to 360.8ft (48 to 110 meters) across, will be asteroid 2019 UK6, which will speed past at approximately 6.20am GMT (1.20am EDT). It is 2019 UK6 we had most prior warning about, as it was first observed on October 24.

NEO 2019 UK6 is an Amor asteroid, which that goes around the Sun and the Earth, occasionally, but very rarely, crossing Earth's path. Apollo asteroids, on the other hand, intersect with Earth’s orbit as the planet travels around the Sun.

***

Protesters are planners. Who knew?

Right now: activists with @XRebelDC @ExtinctionR are taking supplements in preparation for an attempted hunger strike at Nancy Pelosi’s office.

The #ExtinctionRebellion activists say they’ll be demanding a sit-down meeting with Pelosi where they will push her on climate action.

The ONT's advice? 66 days of hunger strike will win you a good number of converts. Go for it.

***

H/T chavez the hugo

***

Lost and found. Odd family reunion.

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (CNN) After years of not hearing from a Glens Falls, New York, man, Rick Hazelton's family had him legally declared dead.

But a friend of Hazelton wanted answers and with the help of a detective was able to track down Hazelton.

He found out that Hazelton was not dead, but rather he had moved around the country.

"One day I got a letter in the mail that said, 'You're being investigated in a missing persons report.' And I thought, 'That can't be right, I'm not missing. This has gotta be a mistake,'" said Hazelton.

Hazelton says that cellphones and social media just weren't around back then and so he just fell out of touch with friends and family.

Now, 33 years later, he's back in touch with those who love him and is spending Thanksgiving in New York.

***

If you remove a GPS monitoring device on your car and remove it, are you a thief?

Back in 2012, the US Supreme Court ruled that it's illegal for the police to attach a GPS tracking device to someone's car without a warrant. But what if you find a GPS tracking device on your car? Can you remove it?

A little more than a year ago, the state of Indiana charged a suspected drug dealer with theft for removing a government-owned GPS tracking device from his SUV. This month, the state's Supreme Court began considering the case, and some justices seemed skeptical of the government's argument.

"I'm really struggling with how is that theft," said Justice Steven David during recent oral arguments.

***

Cookies & Cream, good stuff. Rocky Road, simply delicious. Insect chip and mint? Nope, not going to eat it.

Oh ice cream, how I love you! Sometimes ice cream just really hits the spot, especially when you’ve had a really long day or it’s really hot outside. But have you thought about what’s going to happen to food, and more importantly ice cream, when there is a boom in population? Experts estimate that there will be approximately 11 billion people on our planet by the end of the century. This in turn may lead to a severe food shortage. Scientists have mentioned before that we may need to rely on bugs in order to survive in the future. They’re cheap and an easy protein that can help us get through the day. The Economist decided to take this to another level. We all know that bugs are full of protein, fiber, and even calcium. They are inexpensive and more sustainable than our typical animal proteins like beef. The Economist stated, “not having to look at bugs, and emphasizing the environmental benefits might make the idea of eating insects a bit more palatable.” Well check out their recent experiment that was conducted in Canary Wharf in London.

***

"Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?"
"A Republic, if you can keep it."

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently held its 25th Annual Gala in Washington, D.C, in which CAIR’s executive director announced a goal of pushing more Islamists into Congress. As the Investigative Project on Terrorism reports, CAIR’s executive director Nihad Awad shares the “formula” he believes will secure Islamists greater political power:

***

Rolling Stone: Men Who Abstain From Porn Are Dangerous Alt-Righters

There’s a scene in The Big Lebowski in which The Dude bitterly objects that the pornographer Jackie Treehorn, viewed by the local sheriff as an upstanding citizen who “draws a lot of water” in Malibu, “treats objects like women, man.” Lazy, inarticulate stoner though The Dude may be, even he understands that porn is a shady business and that those who produce it are a detriment to society.

To read Rolling Stone, though, you’d think these people were providing a valuable public service. In a recent piece by EJ Dickson, the expert witness is Dr. David Ley, a “clinical psychologist and sex therapist” who “has partnered with the [pornographic] cam website Stripchat” to spread the word about “sexual health.” The story also includes interviews with the vice presidents of two different porn sites, an embedded tweet about the supposed health benefits of chronic masturbation, and – to wrap it up – a “comforting message” from an “adult performer and director.” They all want you to know that porn won’t hurt you or anyone else. After all, everyone is watching it.

A segment on Trevor Noah’s Daily Show takes it a step further, trotting out the same psychologist from the Rolling Stone piece to explain that porn and masturbation make “a lot of really good things happen in your body and your brain” and that “people who watch more pornography…are more feminist” and have “more egalitarian values.” The correspondent responds with a joke – delivered without a trace of self-awareness – about how watching a 95-on-1 gang bang made him realize that “women have it so hard.”

***

Sh!t happens. Unfortunately sometimes it takes many years for people to learn that.

Unfortunately, for Jake Mesar, the implications of his injury were a bit more severe — and yet, the implications of his lawsuit could have essentially ended youth sports as we know it if he had succeeded.

Yes, the repercussions of what happened were long-lasting and brutal. His lawsuit, however, was still insupportable and dangerous, something that would have been risible had the ramifications not been so serious. In the process, it cost a teacher years of his life in a courtroom as well as his reputation.

In 2012, according to NJ Advance Media, middle school teacher John Suk, coaching the junior varsity baseball team at Bound Brook High School in New Jersey, ordered Mesar to slide into third while his team was leading 6-0 in a game at Gill St. Bernard’s School in order to stretch a hit into a triple. Mesar would roll his ankle, which ended with a serious break.

***

Should medical patient confidentiality rules apply with parents and their children?

A woman who was not informed that her father had a fatal, inherited brain disorder has told the High Court that she would have had an abortion if she'd known at the time of her pregnancy.

She is suing three NHS trusts saying they owed a duty of care to tell her about her dad's Huntington's disease.

Any child of someone with the condition has a 50% chance of inheriting it.

Doctors suspected the diagnosis after her father shot dead her mother and was detained under the Mental Health Act.

The father tested positive for Huntington's Disease, which is caused by a faulty gene and leads to the progressive loss of brain cells, affecting movement, mood and thinking skills. It can also cause aggressive behaviour.

He told doctors he did not want his daughter told about his diagnosis, fearing she might kill herself or have an abortion if she found out.

***

Australia is a mighty generous country.

An Iranian man seeking asylum in Australia botched his DIY penis enlargement procedure — and was granted entry to undergo pricey reconstructive surgery on taxpayer dime, according to local reports.

The man in his 30s, who wasn’t publicly named, tried to grow his member by injecting himself with palm oil and fell seriously ill, The Australian reported on Sunday.

He was transferred from an immigration detention center in Papua New Guinea to Australia last month for medical treatment that could cost up to $10,000, according to the outlet.

The transfer was made possible under Australia’s controversial 2019 Medevac laws, which give doctors a greater say as to which sick refugees can come into the county from offshore detention centers for medical treatment. Medical evacuations can be refused on national security grounds.

***

THE ONT MUSICAL INTERLUDE

On this day: 19 Nov 1937
Ray Collins, vocals, Frank Zappa band. Collins was the lead singer on the band’s first two albums: Freak Out! (1966), and Absolutely Free (1967). Collins died on 24th Dec 2012. via thisdayinmusic.com

&&&

On this day: 19 Nov 1964
The Supremes became the first all girl group to have a UK No.1 single when 'Baby Love' went to the top of the charts. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, it was also the second of five Supremes songs in a row to go to No.1 in the United States. via thisdayinmusic.com

***

What part of strip search don't you understand? Genius Award Winner.

Following his arrest for possession of a hypodermic needle containing methamphetamine, a 380-pound Florida Man was hit with additional felony charges after jail personnel discovered a bag of meth “wedged deep within the belly button cavity of the defendant,” according to a court affidavit.

Police responding late Friday to a suspicious person call placed by employees of a McDonald’s in Clearwater arrested Martin Skelly when a search of the 41-year-old St. Petersburg resident turned up the loaded needle.

***

It might be a bit dusty in here. Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

On Nov. 17, the parking lot of Six Flags in St. Louis, Missouri, was packed with a fleet of brightly colored sports cars. Vehicles of all makes and models — but especially the fastest and most vibrant — waited for the word, and then they all started lining up and proceeded to the funeral of a 14-year-old boy.

Alec Ingram of Washington, Missouri, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2015, and for the past four years has fought bravely against the disease.

A Facebook page called Alec Ingram’s fight with Cancer was set up to keep people informed on his progress. They got updates of successes and setbacks, and the post received scores of comments from prayer warriors and well-wishers who all wanted Alec to overcome osteosarcoma.

***

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by DIY Snow Plowers.

Notice: Posted with permission by the Ace Media Empire and AceCorp, LLC. Warning CA Morons see special order form for details.

Close it up

Little Brian Stelter: Say, Now That Our Newest Coup Attempts Are Failing, Maybe It's Time to Dust Off Our First Coup Plan, Invoking the 25th Amendment

—Ace of Spades

You're not supposed to bat around the whole lineup if you keep striking out.

Yesterday, CNN announced that, with Russia Hoax 2.0 failing, they were going back to Russia Hoax 1.0-- claiming that Trump lied to Mueller or something.

Something Mueller himself was unable to establish.

Now they're going back ever further into the lineup.

Now they're trotting out the 25th Amendment coup plan again.

AP Publishes Story Noting That 100,000 Migrant Children are In Detention, Pinning This on Trump;
Then They "Retract" The Story When They Learn This Figure is from 2015, and Therefore Not "News" Because It's Not Helpful to Democrats

—Ace of Spades

Brave firefighters who need to be spat on in public.

The story's still true -- they're just retracting it because it fails to advance the political interests they're in the business of advancing.

Wouldn't want any context about Obama's detention policies cluttering up the narrative, huh, AP?

DOJ Releases More Information About Strzok in Motion to Dismiss His Lawsuit Against Them

—Ace of Spades

Strzok filed suit, laughably, challenging the DOJ's determination that he should be fired.

The Department of Justice released documents Monday outlining a slew of "security violations" and flagrantly "unprofessional conduct" by anti-Trump ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok -- including his alleged practice of keeping sensitive FBI documents on his unsecured personal electronic devices, even as his wife gained access to his cellphone and discovered evidence that he was having an affair with former FBI attorney Lisa Page.

The DOJ was seeking to dismiss Strzok's lawsuit claiming he was unfairly fired and deserves to be reinstated as chief of the counterespionage division at the FBI. In its filing, the DOJ included an August 2018 letter to Strzok from the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), which said in part that Strzok had engaged in a "dereliction of supervisory responsibility" by failing to investigate the potentially classified Hillary Clinton emails that had turned up on an unsecured laptop belonging to Anthony Weiner as the 2016 election approached.

The situation became so dire, OPR said, that a case agent in New York told federal prosecutors there that he was "scared" and "paranoid" that "somebody was not acting appropriately" and that "somebody was trying to bury this."

...

Additionally, DOJ and OPR noted that although Strzok claimed to have "double deleted" sensitive FBI materials from his personal devices, his wife nonetheless apparently found evidence of his affair on his cellphone -- including photographs and a hotel reservation "ostensibly" used for a "romantic encounter." Strzok didn't consent to turning over the devices for review, according to OPR, even as he acknowledged using Apple's iMessage service for some FBI work.

"[My wife] has my phone. Read an angry note I wrote but didn't send you. That is her calling from my phone. She says she wants to talk to [you]. Said we were close friends nothing more," one of Strzok's text to Page read, according to the filing.

...

Strzok's wife allegedly threatened to send Page's husband some of the photographs from Strzok's phone.

One quick vocabularly point: I've never trusted myself to use the word "ostensibly" because I wasn't sure if it meant apparently or supposedly/purportedly.

And that's a big difference; it's it's "apparently," that means it's your own take on the evidence; if it's "supposedly," that's someone else trying to push their take on you.

Turns out, it means both -- either apparently or supposedly, but not necessarily actually.

Here's the etymology, which suggests it started out as mostly meaning "purportedly:"

1730, "capable of being shown, that can be shown or seen, presentable," from French ostensible, from Latin ostens-, past-participle stem of ostendere "to show, expose to view; to stretch out, spread before; exhibit, display," from assimilated form of ob "in front of" (see ob-) + tendere "to stretch," from PIE root *ten- "to stretch." Meaning "apparent, professed, put forth or held out as real" is from 1771.

So if that one's been bothering you, you're welcome.

Below, some tweets containing screenshots of the filing.

RUSSIAN Propaganda Site Daily Caller Releases "Doctored Video" of Impeachment Hero Eric Swallwell, and Must Be Deplatformed Immediately
Plus: More Bearclaw!

—Ace of Spades

This guy's underwear is working harder than Ana Navarro's spanx.

Doc_Zero/John Hayward: The Takeaway from Impeachment Theater Is That The Unelected Permanent Government Has Lost Confidence In the Voters

—Ace of Spades

Would it not be simpler to dissolve the people, and install another?

The big takeaway from Impeachment Theater is that American voters have influence over a much smaller portion of the federal government than they believed. Washington is a feudal bureaucratic empire with a small suggestion box.

Last week American voters were introduced to the idea that the elected President of the United States can be accused of "undermining" foreign policy determined by the permanent bureaucracy, which spends billions of our tax dollars but is not even slightly interested in our input.

‏

We've been told top bureaucrats who supposedly serve at the pleasure of the president are actually entitled to their jobs and firing them is a crime, with the president presumed guilty unless he can prove he had an acceptable reason for terminating or reassigning them.

We've learned that Made Men of the bureaucratic empire and its political wing, the Democrat Party, cannot be investigated for corruption unless the most exquisite preliminary rituals are followed and the investigators can demonstrate the absolute purity of their intentions.

Outside of Impeachment Theater, we've been told it's heroic for the bureaucracy to organize "resistance" against the elected president and congressional representatives, if the Washington empire disapproves of the voters' choices.

We've discovered obscure lower-court judges can hijack entire segments of national policy on a whim. Some of these imperial proclamations have been expressly premised on the notion that American citizens have less to say about their own government than foreign nationals do.

We've learned a president the imperial bureaucracy likes can issue executive orders that cannot be reversed by presidents it disapproves of. The people are belatedly informed that some matters are settled forever on the "one man, one vote, one time" principle.

The essence of self-government, the true right that matters above all others, is the right to say "no." We've learned over the past three years that the American people no longer have that right in most cases, but their nominal employees in the federal government do.

If the imperial bureaucracy makes a demand of you, good luck with trying to work up a "resistance" movement. Good luck getting any favorable attention from the media that has fused with that bureaucracy and enjoys a revolving door of employment with it.

But if you, the Little People, cast votes the imperial bureaucracy doesn't like... well, watch out. They'll fight you every step of the way and spend untold millions of YOUR dollars against you. Then they'll get in front of cameras and expect you to applaud them as heroes.

It was always a swindle to convince the American people that democracy serves as a failsafe check against authoritarian power. We were fooled into thinking our government could never become dictatorial, no matter how much power it claims, because we can always vote the bums out.

Guess what, kids? "Voting the bums out" turns out to be nearly impossible in any significant sense, because they can use their vast resources of money, power, and media to create defensive phalanxes of rock-solid voters. They can give you billions of reasons not to vote them out.

And as we've seen since 2017, even if you DO manage to vote the bums out, or vote in an administration that disagrees with the imperial consensus, you learn that most of the power and money is controlled by people you never get to vote against.

You learn that the people you don't vote for are very capable of defending their privileges against the people who DO have to face the voters. And you learn that far more issues than you ever suspected are considered "settled" so you'll never get to vote on them again. /end

Oh: Mr. Bearclaw -- I'm Sorry, Lieutenant Colonel Bearclaw -- Admits That Ukraine Asked Him to... Be Their Defense Minister

—Ace of Spades

Apparently the Ukranians had absolutely no questions about Vindman's national loyalties. They offered him one of the highest-ranking positions in government -- three times.

White House official Lt. Col. [Big Boy Bearclaw] testified Tuesday as part of the House impeachment inquiry that he was asked to serve as Ukraine’s defense minister -- but repeatedly denied the offers -- when he traveled to Kiev for the inauguration of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Minority counsel Steve Castor asked Vindman about the offer made by Ukraine's Defense Council Oleksandr Danylyuk earlier this year.

[Lt. Col. Bearclaw] testified Tuesday that Danylyuk offered him the position "three times."

"Every single time, I dismissed it," [Bearclaw] said. "Upon returning, I notified my chain of command and the appropriate counterintelligence folks about this offer."

Senator Kennedy of Louisiana: Epstein Did Not Kill Himself

—Ace of Spades

Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating Epstein's suicide death as a possible "criminal enterprise."

Bureau of Prisons Director Kathleen Hawk Sawyer revealed during testimony to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday that the FBI is investigating whether a "criminal enterprise" played a role in the death of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, asked Sawyer: "With a case this high profile, there has got to be either a major malfunction of the system or criminal enterprise at foot to allow this to happen. So are you looking at both, is the FBI looking at both?"

Sawyer responded: "The FBI is involved and they are looking at criminal enterprise, yes."

Jeffrey Epstein

As guilty of sex trafficking as he is innocent of suicide.

C*ck-Fil-A? Chick-Fil-A Will No Longer Donate to Organizations Gay Pressure Groups Claim Are "Anti-Gay"

—Ace of Spades

You know -- alt-right organizations like the Salvation Army.

Chick-fil-A said Monday that it has stopped donations to several Christian organizations after receiving backlash from LGBT rights activists over the last several weeks.

The U.S. fast food chain said that as it expands, it will no longer donate to the Salvation Army, the Paul Anderson Youth Home, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which opposes same-sex marriage. The company’s charity, the Chick-fil-A Foundation, has donated millions of dollars to the two organizations.

"We made multi-year commitments to both organizations and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018," a representative for Chick-fil-A said, saying the chain will now focus its charitable donations on "education, homelessness and hunger."

Nevergiveup says that Chick-Fil-A did not admit they were bowing to PC pressure, but... well, if they're focusing on "homelessness and hunger," why would they stop donating to the Salvation Army, except for the pressure from gay groups?

And of course they would not admit that.

But I can't make sense of claiming you're redirecting your donations to help with "homelessness and hunger," and then say, "And that means no more donations to the Salvation Army."

Chick-Fil-A disputes that this represents a "cave" to gay gestapo groups, but it seems to be that, at least to me.

Gay groups have been directing hateful protests at the organization for weeks.

Below, video of some of the protesters, including many, many drag queens.

David French rates this "a blessing of liberty," I presume.

Eric Swallowall Drops a Raucously Loud Fart on Live TV

—Ace of Spades

Well that's one way to get some Twitter buzz.

I know this is old but it's too good.

The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

—CBD

Socialism inevitably leads to totalitarian governments.
Socialism inevitably leads to police states.
Socialism inevitably leads to death.

And that is what is coming to Hong Kong.

I can game out lots of scenarios that lead to a relaxation of Chinese control over Hong Kong, but they are long shots. The smart money is betting the over on number of deaths, and the under on the whole "Protesters Win!"

Police surround last holdouts at Hong Kong university

About 100 anti-government protesters remained holed up at a Hong Kong university Tuesday, unsure what to do next as food supplies dwindled and a police siege of the campus entered its third day.

Police played a waiting game after 10 days of some of the most intense protests the city has seen in more than five months of often violent unrest.

The government has stood firm, rejecting most of the protesters’ demands, even as they shut down major roads and trains during rush hour every day last week, turned several university campuses into fortresses and blocked a major road tunnel, which remained shut Tuesday.

In Beijing, the National People’s Congress criticized the high court in Hong Kong for striking down a ban on wearing face masks at the protests. China has taken a tough line on the protests and said that restoring order is the city’s highest priority.

See, it's all the same, all over the world and all through history. When government is powerful it violates the natural rights of its citizens. That is immutable. So any time some liberal virtue-signalling asshat wants to know why we need guns, point at Hong Kong.

The only reason the ChiComs haven't rolled the tanks is because Hong Kong is visible to the world. So they have to tread lightly or even LeBron James might say something unflattering about the largest and most pervasive police state in history.

They will start the killing soon, if they haven't already. And whatever you might see or read in the media, it is worse on the ground. The Chinese government cannot lose this battle, or the same thing will eventually happen in hundreds of cities across China. And that will mean death and destruction that will rival the cultural revolution or Pol Pot.

We are indeed living in interesting times.

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

Chevalier D'Eon
Thomas Stuart

In this case you are correct. Just read about...uh...xer?

The Morning Report - 11/19/19

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. Another day and another star witness who's going to blow this thing wide open and nail Trump. This time it's some career foreign service tool named David Holmes, the political officer at the US embassy in Ukraine who claimed to have overheard a phone call between Trump and ambassador Gordon Sondland the day after the crucial conversation between Presidents Trump and Zelensky that's at the heart of the drive to impeach. Aside from the fact that Holmes is yet another bureaucratic cog in the Deep State tyrannical machine, that he hates Trump and his foreign policy, and that his so-called damning evidence is based on copious notes he took of his colleagues remarks about the Presidents' call, he himself did not hear the call and in fact had been drinking when he heard the conversation between Trump and Sondland. Considering the fact that he offers nothing new, had been drinking and that the transcript of the call that got all this crap going has been released and is indeed "a perfect call," there is no there there.

But still they persist. Nancy Palsi, Schiff-for-Brains and the entire Democrat-Left-Media Complex is going to go full steam ahead for the next 51 weeks, despite the fact that it will absolutely destroy whatever illusion of a functioning political process America once might have had and permanently damage any chance of uniting what is now a deeply divided citizenry. No matter what the media claims, this is not playing at all well in Peoria. So tone deaf in their arrogance and haughtiness are the Dems that they think the American people are just too fucking stupid and inbred to understand quid pro quo, and are using focus groups to try and come up with simpler words for us filthy knuckle-dragging rubes to comprehend, like bribery and abuse of power. It doesn't matter what they call it; the American people by and large are not only not buying it but are coming to the conclusion that this entire thing is engineered as a means to persecute and illegally oust Trump. Some have even said, look, we're less than a year out from the election, so why not just let the people decide. This is where Palsi let's the strings holding up her face slip where she reveals much not only about how they feel about this election but how the Globalist so-called "elite" look upon their entitlement to power. We cannot take a chance on ignorant masses going against us like they did in 2016 (and '80 and '84 for that matter). It also not so subtly confirms what we have long suspected, insofar as elections, at least on a national level and sometimes at a state level are and have been a rigged game.

Other than that, the other major development is that Trump is hinting that he might agree to testify in the investigation. Like so many times before, I think he is calculating yet again to maneuver the Dems into another trap. Stay tuned.

SHAM-PEACHMENT FOLLIES

• Pelosi Blows Off Impeachment Critics, Says It's "Weak," "Dangerous" To Let Election Decide
  
• Democrats' New Star Witness, David Holmes, Was Drinking Wine, Didn't Take Notes
  
• Lee Zeldin Slams Schiff-for-Brains For "Sick" Speech: "Really Disgusting Rhetoric"
  
• Devin Nunes Says "Tough Luck" to Impeachment Witnesses Upset with Trump's Ukraine Policy
  
• Let's Stop Pretending Every Impeachment Witness Is a Selfless Hero
  
• Joe Bidet's Former Ukraine Adviser at Center of House Impeachment Inquiry
  
• Trump "Strongly" Considering Offering Testimony in Impeachment Inquiry
  
• Rabbi Fischer: Why the Palsi/Schiff-for-Brains Impeachment Is Playing Out Unsuccessfully
  
• Palsi Pelosi: Trump's Actions "So Much Worse Than Even What Richard Nixon Did" (Nixon caved, Trump fights back - jjs)
  
• Impeachment by Focus Group
  
• The Focus Group Impeachment Farce
  
• Impeachment is Not Playing in Peoria
  
• The Swamp's Swingline Stapler
  
• AG Barr: How the Left is Trashing the Constitution to Fight Trump

  CLINTON/OBAMA COUP, CONGRESSIONAL PERSECUTION, SPYGATE, DEEP STATE, MUELLER DECEPTION
  The other reason the Dems are still desperate to continue the sham-peachment flea circus is that the IG report on FISA abuse as well as AG Barr's report and possible indictments indeed appear to be imminent. In fact, hallelujah, the Senate has now set a date for hearings into how the FISA warrants were obtained to spy on the Trump campaign. All well and good, but AG Barr in a recent speech lamented the Legislative branch, specifically the Dems, weaponizing now the oversight process as a means to impede, neuter and even remove a chief executive it does not like.

  ...Now, we should wish to return to a peacetime world where Democrats and Republicans agree to constrain the use of their oversight powers and avoid using them for partisan political purposes or to harass the executive branch.

  But we are not at peace. Senate Republicans must not unilaterally disarm in the Oversight War.

  If Congressional Democrats are going to use every lawful means at their disposal to "resist" President Trump, then Senate Republicans should use every lawful means at their disposal to punish their bad faith rebellion.

  Amen (FYI that's not AG Barr but from the last link at Human Events). Lastly, a bit of good news, SCOTUS has at least temporarily blocked the subpoena for the President's financial records.

• Senate Sets Date For FISA Abuse Hearing
  
• Chief Justice Roberts Halts Subpoena For President Trump's Accounting Records... For Now
  
• Senate Republicans Are AWOL in the Oversight War

  DEMOCRAT-LEFTIST SCANDALS, CRIMES, CHUTZ-POCRISY, MESHUGAS
  A photo of Mayor Buttplug with his male partner has surfaced of the two of them posing for a selfie at the Berlin Holocaust Memorial in 2017. Gee, aren't we so cute! Clueless and irreverent is no way to go through life, schmuck. Meanwhile, the Democrat mayor of Muncie gets pinched by the Feds for corruption, Joe Bidet wants to protect women by taking money from wife-beaters and mish-grabbers, and tiresome foghorn Mark Kelly takes thousands in dark money after bloviating endlessly on the evils of same.

• Mayor Buttplug Reamed for Posing at Berlin Holocaust Memorial
  
• Democrat Mayor of Muncie, IN Arrested by FBI in Alleged Corruption Probe
  
• Joe Bidet Releases Plan To End Violence Against Women... Days After Fundraising With Alleged Women Abusers
  
• Mark Kelly Receives Thousands of Dollars Through Corporate PAC Loophole (titanic hypocrite - jjs)

  AMNESTY, IMMIGRATION, BORDER CRISIS, BORDER SECURITY
  To the border we go where our Central American asylum enforcement is kicking in, whatever moderate Dems there are clearly do not favor open borders, open borders fanatic Elizabeth Wan-pum talks about "traffic violence" while the illegal alien DUI epidemic is out of control, Oregon hack-in-black gets put in place by ICE, Palsi refuses to fund wildly popular border wall in upcoming budget, and acting CBP chief gives update on wall construction.

• Trump Admin To Begin Enforcing Asylum Agreements With Central American Governments
  
• Pew Research: 6-in-10 Moderate Democrat Voters Support Increased Immigration Controls
  
• More Americans Killed by Illegal Alien DUI Epidemic as Open Borders Shill Elizabeth Fugazi Decries "Traffic Violence"
  
• Oregon Hack-in-Black Says ICE Can't Arrest Criminal Aliens at Courthouses; ICE Reminds Her Who's in Charge
  
• Palsi Says Democrat House Will Not Fund the Border Wall
  
• Acting CBP Chief: We've Built 78 Miles of Replacement Border Wall, Now Breaking Ground for New Wall

  POLITICS
  So the President made an unscheduled stop at Walter Reed and the Warcock's cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Reiner thinks that is worrisome, Eric Swallowswell demonstrates his world-famous class and sophistication by emitting flatus from his anus instead of the usual gas from his cakehole live on MSNBC, a Democrat voter speaks for a hell of a lot of Americans when he hears Elizabeth Fugazi yammer, Daniel Greenfield on why the Dems are desperate to prevent her from winning the nod, Tulsi Gabbard sounds semi-normal and so destroys her campaign, note to the Clintons: learn to code, and bite-sized billionaire busybody backtracks badly.

• Dick Cheney Cardiologist: Trump Walter Reed Trip "Worrisome", "Unusual"
  
• He Who Denied It: Eric Swallowswell Denies Emitting Massive Fart on MSNBC (out his ass this time - jjs)
  
• Dem Voter: When I Hear Fauxcahontas Talk, "I Want to Slap Her" (join the club - jjs)
  
• Greenfield: The Stop Fauxcahontas Primary
  
• Tulsi Gabbard Destroys Her Campaign: "We Stand United... Motivated by Love"
  
• Clinton Foundation Reports $16.8 Million Loss in 2018
  
• Bloomberg Renounces

  FIRST AMENDMENT, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, BIG BROTHER BIG TECH
  Fred Smith rips into Slim's Slimes for lying and challenges the editor to a debate which the latter will doubtless cower in fear to avoid at all costs, did CNN peddle fakery on Trump's unscheduled Walter Reed stopover, Federalist Society drowns out Kavanaugh protesters with applause, and a look at the media's organized hype of the Swedish meatball and that UN Climate Conference.

• FedEx CEO Challenges NY Times Editor "To a Public Debate" Over $0 Tax Article
  
• Is CNN Peddling Fake News About a POTUS Health Scare?
  
• Federalist Society Drowns Out Unhinged Protesters With Applause For Brett Kavanaugh
  
• Inside the Media Conspiracy to Hype Scoldilocks Thunberg and the UN Climate Conference

  SECOND AMENDMENT
  Another good guy with a gun does good, and an upcoming case at SCOTUS.

• Report: Armed Citizen Stopped Oklahoma Walmart Shooter
  
• Is Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court, or the First Circuit Right About the Second Amendment?

  ABORTION
  G-dless heathen Andrew Cuomo urinates on the first amendment, Dem A'sG will only support baby-killers, and Margot Cleveland on the likely trajectory of the David Daleidin-Planned Parenthood case.

• Infanticide Champion Andrew Cuomo Signs Bill Telling Pro-Lifers Whom They Can Hire; ADF Files Lawsuit
  
• Democrat Attorneys General Group Will Only Support Pro-Abortion Candidates
  
• Cleveland: Why the Planned Parenthood Whistleblower Case Will Likely Hit the Supreme Court

  FOREIGN AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL
  The big story that broke late yesterday is the Trump administration's reversal of Dhimmi's and the Dog-Eater's policy of declaring Israeli "settlements" illegal, Hong Kong protests turning bloody and devolving into chaos, same for massive protests across Iran, IAEA says Farsis in violation of heavy water codicil in nuke deal, Fauxcahontas agrees with Trump? Also, Israel still paying off terrorists, and an essay theorizing on how the Deep State got so deep.

• US Reverses Carter, Obama Policy Declaring Israeli Settlements "Illegal"
  
• Hong Kong Protests Escalate Into Complete Chaos in the Streets
  
• Iran: Anti-Regime Protests Hit Major Cities After Fuel Price Hike
  
• IAEA: Iran Exceeds Heavy Water Limit in Latest Nuclear Deal Breach
  
• Elizabeth Wan-pum Agrees With Trump's Strategy In Venezuela, "Yeah, I Support Economic Sanctions"
  
• Israel Still Paying Money to Palestinians, Palestinians Keep Paying Jihad Terrorists (meshuga is as meshuga does - jjs)
  
• Neglect of Foreign Policy Led to the Deep State

  DEFENSE, MILITARY, SECURITY AFFAIRS
  Yup.
  

• Biden Tolerated Traitors, Trump Pardoned Heroes

  DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THE BUREAUCRACY, WASTE, FRAUD, CORRUPTION
  A budget? Never heard of them. Really. Also, woman doused with hobo diarrhea laments LA's descent into medieval world and Salena Zito on the filthy water crisis in the heartland.

• House To Vote On Temporary Funding For The Government Tuesday... With No Border Wall Funding
  
• Dr. Drew Talks To Woman Doused With "Hot Diarrhea," Warns Of More Random Attacks As Homeless "Deteriorate" On L.A. Streets
  
• Zito: America's Troubled Waters (actual H2O, not Maxine - jjs)

  THE ECONOMY, STUPID
  But at least we'll have the time to paint or write that screenplay instead of stuck in job-lock. Winning.

• Study: 2020 Dem Tax Hikes Could Eliminate 413,000 Jobs

  CRIME & PUNISHMENT, NON-DOSTOYEVSKY
  Joe Bidet totally clueless on the direction of the nation. Sadly, I do agree with him that pot is a gateway drug.

• Elderly Politician Joe Biden Says He Won't Legalize Marijuana Because It Might Be a "Gateway Drug"

  EDUCATION, INDOCTRINATION
  Another college goes insane with the America hatred, Illinois school district all in on the psychosis, and an essay on "critical" thinking as societal self-flagellation and lobotomization.

• Grand Valley State University Kills Pledge of Allegiance Tradition
  
• Illinois School District Rules Transgender Students Have Unrestricted Access To Bathrooms
  
• The Duplicitous Game of Critique

  HEALTHCARE
  Administration reconsidering e-cig ban and Medicare-for-All could result in a red wave from frightened seniors.
  
  

• Trump Administration Backs Away From Ban On Flavored E-Cigarette Products
  
• Understanding "Medicare for All" Could Make Seniors Vote Red (state, not Commie - jjs)

  RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, LYSENKOISM
  San Diego's electric bus boondoggle.

• San Diego's Green New Deal Showcase Unwittingly Reveals an Expensive Future

  FEMINAZISM, TRANSGENDER PSYCHOSIS, HOMOSEXUALIZATION, WAR ON MASCULINITY/NORMALCY
  While the real toll in destroyed lives will never be revealed, Sprite goes full on insane with creepy advert/propaganda pimping self-mutilation.

• "Frankenstein Hack Job": 19-Year-Old Regrets His Transgender Surgery
  
• Creepy New Sprite Commercial Sells Transgenderism and Breast Binding, Not Soda (get woke, get fucked - jjs)

  CULTURE WARS, HITHER & YON
  Atlanta rag calls Eastwood's latest inaccurate, Chick-Fil-A does a Dick's, comedy club gets "woke" and goes for broke, and a comparison of the Prague Spring as it relates to our artists and athletes fighting for just the opposite.

• Atlanta Urinal-Constipation Questions Accuracy of Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell
  
• Backlash: Chick-Fil-A Faces Heat For Caving To Leftists, Cutting Ties With Christian Orgs
  
• Woke-Scold Comedy Club Owner Shuts Down Show Over "Misogynist" Stand-Up Comics
  
• Resistance: Czechoslovakia and America

Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.

NOTE: The opinions expressed in some links may or may not reflect my own. I include them because of their relevance to the discussion of a particular issue.

ALSO: The Morning Report is cross-posted at CutJibNewsletter.com if you want to continue the conversation all day.

Follow us on Twitter: @CutJibNews

Monday Overnight Open Thread (11/18/19)

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

Now that I’m all healed from the surgeries, I regret them. The result of the bottom surgery looks like a Frankenstein hack job at best, and that got me thinking critically about myself. I had turned myself into a plastic-surgery facsimile of a woman, but I knew I still wasn’t one. I became (and to an extent, still feel) deeply depressed. Nathaniel (Last Name Withheld)

Quote II

“The industry as a whole is focused on creating a menu of CUAS sensor options that can be adapted to different use cases and price points,” “As the threat outpaces government responsiveness and legislative decision making, drone threats and less conventional countermeasures will continue to be an issue.”Christopher Williams, CEO of Citadel Defense Company

Quote III

“It was a convenient place to stay. I mean I’ve gone through this in my mind so many times. At the end of the day, with a benefit of all the hindsight that one can have, it was definitely the wrong thing to do.

“But at the time I felt it was the honourable and right thing to do and I admit fully that my judgement was probably coloured by my tendency to be too honourable but that’s just the way it is.”Prince Andrew

Quote IV

“When there is a tension, we want to make sure we’re being clear. We think this is going to be helpful,” Tassopoulos said of the company’s decision to pull its support from the charities. “It’s just the right thing to do: to be clear, caring, and supportive and do it in the community.” Tim Tassopoulos

***

Does Burger King have the balls to say, "Fuck You Vegans". Time will tell.

(NEWSER) – Burger King has been hit with a class-action lawsuit arguing that the chain's Impossible Burger isn't the vegan sandwich it's advertised to be, because it's typically cooked on the same grills as meat. That means the Impossible comes with meat residue, which the menu doesn't mention, in at least some locations. Phillip Williams wants damages after ordering the vegan alternative in Atlanta, TMZ reports, and he wants the chain to cook vegan and meat burgers on separate grills. Burger King had revealed in fine print over the summer that all burgers would be grilled in the same broilers.

The suit was filed Monday in federal court in Florida, per the New York Post, which notes that the chain says in a footnote on its menu online, "For guests looking for a meat-free option, a non-broiler method of preparation is available upon request." A company spokesman declined to comment on the suit, which was filed on behalf of several other vegans. One customer tweeted that she asked for her Impossible Burger to be cooked in its own pan or grill only to be told, "We don't do that here." Another posted that a different location had agreed to cook separately. (McDonald's is testing its own meatless burger.

Phillip Williams must be a sad individual.

***

The first rule about fight club money laundering club is not to talk about money laundering club.

A Miami Professor Who Wrote the Book on International Drug Enterprises Just Got Arrested for Laundering Colombian Money

***

The truth is under the intake. H/T Hank Curmudgeon

***

She hasn't been in office that long and the sleaze is already dripping off of her.

ATLANTA – The two luxury GMC Denalis used to chauffeur Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms around town were purchased for a combined $175,000 without the apparent authorization of Atlanta City Council. The city had designated the money for police vehicles used by patrol officers and detectives, reported AJC.

City Council approved $2.6 million for 91 new police vehicles in the summer of 2017. However, according to the AJC report, the Denalis for the mayor’s use were not on the list of vehicles to be purchased in the approved ordinance.

Nevertheless, the city finance department used money for the Denalis from those funds after Bottoms was sworn into office in January, 2018. The AJC report did not include a response from the mayor’s office.

***

A new cereal. Is it a Kaboom knock off? No it is Twinkies cereal.

If it's shaped like a golden sponge snack cake, and tastes like a golden sponge snack cake, it must be a golden sponge snack cake, right? Well, not this time. Post Consumer Brands and Hostess have just announced they are introducing a frickin' Twinkies cereal to grocery stores in December

***

***

There has to be a better way to earn $1,000.

A website is offering a "dream job" for a holiday-loving person looking to make $1,000 watching 24 Hallmark Christmas movies.

Centurylinkquote.com said the winning "Hallmark Dream Job" applicant will receive $1,000, a streaming service subscription and a "movie watching kit" including cookies, cocoa, a mini Christmas tree and some Hallmark merchandise.

***

This is an older clip, it is NSFW-Language but it still cracks me up. We need a good chuckle on a Monday.

***

Go ahead and click, trust me, it's safe. Pretty amazing.

***

I am not surprised or shocked. Tenured Ivy League prof endorses terrorism against Israel.

A tenured Columbia University professor endorsed terrorism in a speech given at the Palestine Center late last week.

"The Oslo Accords inaugurated this process of liquidating the Palestinian national struggle while the 'Deal of the Century' plans and hopes to conclude it," Professor Joseph Massad said. "The only thing standing in its way is the ongoing Palestinian resistance to Israel, settler colonialism and racism that continues inside Israel and Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza; the ongoing Marches of Return in Gaza; and the armed-resistance of the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades to Israeli invasions in Gaza."

***

Japan is confident in lithium ion batteries. Japanese have a battery powered submarine.

***

Former Vice President Joe "Paste Eatin'" Biden has found a group of people he won't pander to. It looks like Biden won't support legalization of marijuana.

Former Vice President Joe Biden says he is not prepared to support ending the federal ban on marijuana until science clarifies "whether or not it is a gateway drug." Taking him at his word, that means Biden, a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, will never support marijuana legalization.

During a town hall in Las Vegas on Saturday, Biden said states should be free to legalize marijuana but once again reserved judgment about whether national prohibition should be repealed. "The truth of the matter is, there's not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug," he said. "It's a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it….It is not irrational to do more scientific investigation to determine, which we have not done significantly enough, whether or not there are any things that relate to whether it's a gateway drug or not."

Speaking of Joe Biden and gateway drugs. What was Hunter Biden's gateway drug? Hypocrisy? His old man was his dealer.

Joe Biden, whose own kid somehow managed to avoid arrest and imprisonment for his cocaine habit in the Navy, is out condemning President Trump for pardoning a few military small fry whose draconian sentences didn't match the "crimes" they were convicted of.

***

What do George Conway and Hillary Clinton have in common? Other than fat and ugly? Neither would be where they are today without their spouse.

He's a man perhaps best known for trolling his wife and her boss on Twitter, to the endless delight of his new political allies, and now he's expanding his blast radius. Reacting to Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R-NY) aggressive questioning of witnesses and other tactics during the House Intelligence Committee's impeachment proceedings last week, George Conway decided to not only urge people to donate to her 2020 opponent, but to add a little bit of color commentary about Stefanik herself, for good measure:

***

Special snowflakes set down the smart phone. And find a whole new world out there.

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – They survived!

Nearly two dozen Adelphi University students made it a full week without their cell phones!

As CBS2 first told you last week, it was part of a college course intended to break the powerful addiction of smartphones.

CBS2’s Carolyn Gusoff went back on Thursday as students were reunited with their beloved mobile devices.

***

THE ONT MUSICAL INTERLUDE

On this day: November 18, 1972 - Danny Whitten
Singer, songwriter Danny Whitten died of a drug overdose aged 29. He was a member of Neil Young's Crazy Horse and writer of 'I Don't Wanna Talk About It', covered by Rod Stewart, Rita Coolidge and Everything But The Girl. The Neil Young song ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’ was written about Whitten’s heroin use (before he died of an overdose). via thisdayinmusic.com

&&&

On this day: November 18, 2017
Australian musician and songwriter Malcolm Young died age 64. Young was best known as a co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was with the band from its November 1973 beginning until retiring permanently in 2014. Young was born in 1953 in Glasgow before his family emigrated to Australia when he was 10. His family confirmed he was suffering from dementia in 2014. via thisdayinmusic.com

***

Oh no, not the hose. Genius Award Winners - 1st Runner Up

A couple have admitted common assault on their neighbour by turning a hosepipe on him in a long-running dispute.

Barry and Hellynne Lee, both aged 72, sprayed Harold Burrows with water as he was clearing up debris that washed into his garden from their pathway in June.

Magistrates at Llandudno, Conwy county, were shown footage of the incident which Mr Burrows had caught on camera.

The couple were given a 12-month conditional discharge.

They were also each ordered to pay £170 costs.

When do the British impose hose control?

***

But. But, but you looked like a deer. Genius Award Winner.

IONIA COUNTY, MI – A hunter was seriously wounded Saturday, Nov. 16, when he was accidentally shot by his brother.

The victim, a 28-year-old Lowell man, was airlifted from the scene in Ionia County. His brother, a 29-year-old Saranac man, told police he accidentally shot his brother with a muzzle-loader rifle thinking he was shooting at a deer that had been wounded.

Sheriff’s deputies and Saranac firefighters were dispatched around 5:30 p.m. to a field near Bell Road and West Grand River Avenue in Boston Township where the hunter had been shot.

***

Unlike the siblings above, these parents should be proud of their daughters. Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

Two Sisters Raise More Than $5,000 To Buy Thanksgiving Meals For Families In Need

For the third year in a row, two sisters in North Carolina are raising money to provide meals for families that can't afford a Thanksgiving dinner.

***

Weekly commenter stats for week of 11-18-2019

Top 10 commenters:
1 [571 comments] 'Jane D'oh' [80.15 posts/day]
2 [571 comments] 'garrett'
3 [525 comments] 'TheJamesMadison, Just All about the Billy Wilder movies'
4 [393 comments] 'Insomniac'
5 [379 comments] 'rickb223'
6 [344 comments] 'Tom Servo'
7 [344 comments] 'Village Idiot's Apprentice'
8 [333 comments] 'Yudhishthira's Dice'
9 [321 comments] 'Sponge'
10 [319 comments] 'Easy Andy'

Top 10 sockpuppeteers:
1 [100 names] 'Miklos, pAyong wit encrypted AppleChinaPay' [14.04 unique names/day]
2 [51 names] 'freaked'
3 [40 names] 'No, not that person, the other person. Over there. '
4 [37 names] 'Masha Potatovich'
5 [36 names] 'Axeman'
6 [33 names] 'Count de Monet'
7 [31 names] 'Duncanthrax The Austere'
8 [29 names] 'Mike Hammer, etc., etc.'
9 [23 names] 'Cicero (@cicero)'
10 [22 names] 'LeftCoast Dawg'

***

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Hedge Trimmers.

Notice: Posted with permission by the Ace Media Empire and AceCorp, LLC. The views expressed do not reflect those of the boss, advertisers, staff and management.

Close it up

Grassley Schedules Hearings with IG Horowitz on FISA Abuses for December 11, 2019

—Ace of Spades

Does this mean the long, long delayed report is going to be released within days?

Mass Protests Break Out in Iran to Protest Government's Increase in Fuel Prices

—Ace of Spades

Uprising.

"Some people are no doubt worried by this decision ... but sabotage and arson is done by hooligans not our people," the Iranian Supreme Leader said in a live speech on state TV.

Riot police and security forces clashed with demonstrators in Tehran and dozens of other cities on Saturday, Iranian news agencies and social media said, a day after the government increased the price of gasoline.

"The counter-revolution and Iran's enemies have always supported sabotage and breaches of security and continue to do so," Khamenei said. "Unfortunately some problems were caused, a number of people lost their lives and some centres were destroyed."

They shut down -- or "curbed" - - the internet.

Iranian internet access was curbed this week on the orders of a state security council, the semi-official news agency ISNA reported, a move apparently aimed at preventing protesters from communicating with each other and sharing video on social media.

An Iranian dissident says that the Iranian government is afraid.

The protests began last Friday, and before the weekend was over, the Islamic Republic of Iran was in a state of insurrection. Major disturbances have been reported in more than 100 towns and cities across Iran, from Ardabil in the north, on the Caspian Sea, to Bandar Abbas in the south, on the Persian Gulf.

...

Shouting "death to the dictator," hundreds of thousands of protesters have been streaming through the streets of Tehran and Mashad, Tabriz and Shiraz. Billboards and posters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have been put to the torch.

"I'm getting first-hand information from people in the streets in different cities. They're mostly young people, and they’re crying, but they're full of hope. People are very angry," the prominent women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad told me on Sunday. "These people have nothing to lose. They’re fearless now. It is the government that is full of fear."

...

Although the gas price hikes triggered the protests that began last Friday, the popular demands explicitly call for regime change. Unlike 2009, the current protests are leaderless and organic, and thus more difficult to decapitate. "People are angrier and getting angry faster. The regime is already using live bullets, firing into crowds."

"This is the first time the government is afraid of the people right away. They shut down the internet right away. Straight away the government is full of fear. A leaderless movement is more dangerous. If the movement had a leader, they would go and arrest them. Now everyone is a leader."

She claims the Iranian thugs have already killed more than 40 people, but they're covering that up, the same as they covered up the actual death toll during the 2009 Green Uprising.

I've seen commenters mention a central bank in Iran being set fire to, or even "burned down," and have seen some references to that on some less-than-authoritative websites. If any of you have a good cite for that, please let me know.

Khamanei himself mentioned "arson," but did not specify what had been set ablaze.

Below is a tweet showing a building pouring out smoke, but, you know, we don't know what building this is, or what year it's from, or what country it's from. A lot of photos and videos get repurposed in the Middle East.

Prince Andrew: I Have the Perfect Alibi to Claims I Had Sex with Underage Childslave Virginia Giuffre.
See, I Was At a... Pizza Restaurant.

—Ace of Spades

This claim is so odd that people speculate that the English royal family has decided to be tricky and try to get the media to protect Andrew by stirring up #PizzaGate conspiracy theories -- given how scandalized the leftwing media was over PizzaGate, maybe they'll rush to Andrew's defense if enough people say "Pizza party? PizzaGate!"

That sounds a little too cute to me, but what do I know -- I used to think the people running things were halfway intelligent, but it turns out they're largely morons. Maybe they're stupid enough to try this too-clever-by-half play.

An article in The Atlantic pointed out that his "I couldn't have been at that party with her, I remember having gone to a pizza restaurant in Wolking" makes no sense and is no alibi, because that restaurant is less than an hour from the site of the party -- he could have gone to the pizza restaurant before or after the party, and his story would be true... but irrelevant. Same as claiming your alibi is that you were in a different city the day before a murder happened.

Thanks for the detail, but... that's not an alibi.

Andrew offered the following additional proofs of innocence:

Regarding the picture showing him with his arm around the waist of an underage Virginia Giuffree, nee Roberts, Andrew claims, "No one has yet proved whether that photo is genuine or has been doctored."

So... no one says it was doctored, and you claim no one has proven it is real or fake?

A strange proof that the photo is not real is that he asserts that when in London (the photo, I guess, was taken in London), he wears a "suit and tie," and this photo shows him wearing what he calls his "travelling clothes," therefore... um.... this could not possibly be him.

His proof of innocence is that he literally never takes off his suit jacket and wears a button-down dress shirt while in London. Only when travelling abroad does he wear such rugged, rude peasant garb.

What?

But his proofs go further. As to Giuffre's claim that he "sweated profusely" when dancing with her at a club, he says that that couldn't be true, because... at the time, but not now, he had a strange condition that caused him not to sweat at all.

He is very stuttery and stumbly about when this alleged condition afflicted him. He seems to emphasize that he did not sweat at that time. I imagine he says this because he sweats now, and he doesn't want his offer of proof rejected upon anyone seeing him sweat.

The New York Post dubbed him "His Royal Dryness."

He also claimed he would never "really party" nor engage in PDAs as seen in the photo.

And yet, Daily Mail points out video from 2007 showing him partying with young women on the French Riviera, engaging in some light PDA, and looking a bit... sweaty.

Oh, and one PDA? A young woman is photographed licking his face, which I think counts as a PDA.

Newly-revealed video shows Prince Andrew at raucous pool party on the French Riviera in July 2008

Pictures from other events also show him enjoying attention of beautiful women including one licking his face

Andrew's public role in danger after 'car crash' BBC interview where he discussed relationship with Epstein

Denied he met Virginia Roberts - let alone had sex with her - and hinted photo of them together could be fake

Duke said he 'never really partied', avoided 'public affection' and Falklands battles left him unable to sweat

But photos and video from French parties show him gripping several women and looking decidedly sweaty

2.5m people watched BBC interview described as 'Not so much a car crash but an articulated lorry crash'

When asked why he stayed in Jeffrey Epstein's place even after Epstein had copped a plea in a sex-slave case, he says he went there to tell Epstein that he could no longer be pals with him. I guess he stayed at his place to... I don't know, give Epstein some final Friendship Time?

When asked what caused him to associate himself with such a seedy individual as Epstein -- guilty of corrupting underage girls, and innocent of suicide -- Andrew stated that he was "too honourable." That's his flaw -- he was too honourable. I imagine he means he was too honourable to even suspect such tawdry, lower-class-type crimes were going on all around him.

The press reaction was generally bad though I'm sure the press will start defending him once the royal family threatens to withhold interviews with Megan Markle.

Some video below.

Tom Morrison Questioned Alex Vindman's "Judgement;" Paul Sperry Reports On Complaints That Vindman Leaked and Was So Distrusted He Was Excluded from Some Trips and Discussions

—Ace of Spades

Byron York reports that Democrats and lawyers repeatedly stopped any questioning of Tom Morrison and Vindman about who else they had talked to.

On Saturday, Democrats released the transcript of the Oct. 31 deposition of Tim Morrison, who until recently was the top National Security Council official in charge of Russia and Europe. At the deposition, Republicans asked Morrison about Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who served under Morrison in charge of Ukraine. Morrison testified that he had questions about Vindman's judgment. Specifically, Morrison told the committee, "I had concerns that he did not exercise appropriate judgment as to whom he would say what."

...

GOP lawyer Steve Castor asked Morrison in a general sense who Vindman might have discussed the Trump-Zelensky call with. "What types of officials in the course of his duties would he be responsible for providing readouts to?"

The transcript indicates that an off-the-record discussion took place. Then Morrison said, "He -- he may have felt it appropriate to speak to other departments and agencies if they had questions about the call."

"Do you know if he did?" asked Castor.

"Yes," said Morrison.

"And who--— do you know who he spoke to?"

At that moment, Morrison's lawyer, Barbara Van Gelder, intervened. "I'm not going to allow him to answer that, it is beyond the scope of this inquiry," she said.

Castor protested that he was not asking Morrison to testify beyond his knowledge of events. Van Gelder then read what appeared to be a prepared statement.

...

More arguing ensued, but Morrison did not answer the question.

At another moment, Morrison described the time Vindman came to him to express concerns about the Trump-Zelensky call. "Did you have any other communications with [Vindman] about the call?" asked Castor.

"Yes," said Morrison.

"And what were those?"

"You're not going to talk about that," interjected Van Gelder.

Vindman himself testified two days earlier, on Oct. 29. In that session, Schiff again decreed that the witness could not discuss some of the people he might have discussed the Trump call with. In fact, Schiff ordered a blackout on discussion of anyone even associated with the intelligence community. (The whistleblower has been reported to be a CIA analyst.) "Can I just caution again," Schiff said, "Not to go into names of people affiliated with the IC in any way."

Vindman said he had discussed the call, in a limited way, with State Department official George Kent. When asked who beyond Kent he might have discussed the call with, Vindman's lawyer Michael Volkov intervened.

"What I'm telling you right now is we're not going to answer that question," Volkov said. "If the chair wants to hold him in contempt for protecting the whistleblower, God be with you ... If you want to ask, you can ask -- you can ask questions about his conversation with Mr. Kent. That's it. We're not answering any others."

"The only conversation that we can speak to Col. Vindman about is his conversation with Ambassador Kent?" asked Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin.

"Correct," said Volkov, "and you've already asked him questions about it."

Volkov, like Van Gelder later, was simply following Schiff's directive. The chairman ruled out any talk about the call.

I'd like to thank each of these Democrat Operatives for their service.

Leaked Cache of Diplomatic Cables Proves How Thoroughly Iran Has Corrupted and Co-Opted the Iraqi Government

—Ace of Spades

Iraq is essentially a client state of Iran.

Now leaked Iranian documents offer a detailed portrait of just how aggressively Tehran has worked to embed itself into Iraqi affairs, and of the unique role of [Iranian Quds Force leader General Qassim] Suleimani. The documents are contained in an archive of secret Iranian intelligence cables obtained by The Intercept and shared with the New York Times for this article, which is being published simultaneously by both news organizations.

The unprecedented leak exposes Tehran's vast influence in Iraq, detailing years of painstaking work by Iranian spies to co-opt the country’s leaders, pay Iraqi agents working for the Americans to switch sides, and infiltrate every aspect of Iraq's political, economic, and religious life.

...

According to one of the leaked Iranian intelligence cables, [Iraq's current prime minister] Abdul-Mahdi, who in exile worked closely with Iran while Saddam Hussein was in power in Iraq, had a "special relationship with the IRI" -- the Islamic Republic of Iran -- when he was Iraq's oil minister in 2014. The exact nature of that relationship is not detailed in the cable, and, as one former senior U.S. official cautioned, a "special relationship could mean a lot of things -- it doesn't mean he is an agent of the Iranian government." But no Iraqi politician can become prime minister without Iran's blessing, and Abdul-Mahdi, when he secured the premiership in 2018, was seen as a compromise candidate acceptable to both Iran and the United States.

...

Cultivating Iraqi officials was a key part of [Iran's intelligence services and Revolutionary Guards'] job, and it was made easier by the alliances many Iraqi leaders forged with Iran when they belonged to opposition groups fighting Saddam. Many of Iraq's foremost political, military, and security officials have had secret relationships with Tehran, according to the documents. The same 2014 cable that described Abdul-Mahdi's "special relationship" also named several other key members of the cabinet of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as having close ties with Iran.

A political analyst and adviser on Iraq to Iran’s government, Gheis Ghoreishi, confirmed that Iran has focused on cultivating high-level officials in Iraq. "We have a good number of allies among Iraqi leaders who we can trust with our eyes closed," he said.

Bush's failure to anticipate Iran joining the fight in Iraq, and his attempt to downplay the extent to which Iran was actively killing US soldiers, led to Iran becoming more brazen and more powerful in Iraq.

I have trouble envisioning how the "verdict of history" will ever conclude that this war benefited the US. Iran seems to be the winner, and all it cost them was some IEDs and bribe-money.

Video report here, which says that none of this is exactly a shock, but the cables do confirm what we expected, and suggest that maybe it's worse than we imagined. Skip to 2:50 to see some footage of the protests in Iraq against the government, over rising fuel costs. (France 24 blames this on Trump's sanctions against Iran because of course.)

Study: Starbucks Foot Traffic Down 6.8% After "All Homeless Bums Are Welcome to Shoot Up In Our Bathrooms" Policy

—Ace of Spades

Woke/broke: The cycle accelerates.

Foot traffic was most reduced at Starbucks located close to a homeless shelter, and less reduced the further the store was placed from a homeless shelter.

Academics from the University of Texas at Dallas Jindal School of Management and Boston College Carroll School of Management, in collaboration with SafeGraph, released a comprehensive research study that revealed Starbucks visits declined 6.8%, relative to nearby restaurants and cafes, after the company changed to an open bathroom policy.

...

Key Findings from the study:

The decline was 84% larger for stores near homeless shelters

The policy also led to fewer citations for public urination nearby store locations, but had no effect on other similar public order crimes

Individuals visiting a Starbucks reduced the amount of time they spent in the store by 4.2%

More affluent customers reduced their visits more, but black and white customers were equally deterred

The study indicates the potential loss in sales when a store goes from providing for customers only, to credible potential customers, to those with no prospect of being customers. More importantly, allocating these resources to non-paying members of the public can have outsized effects on sales by deterring paying customers. The cost is actually lost sales, not just the possible additional staffing costs to keep the bathrooms clean.

Comics Matter had an interesting point, comparing the loss of business at Starbucks and the flops of Terminator and Charlie's Angels: #Woke companies keep chasing "phantom customers" while alienating actual customers.

In the case of Starbucks, they're letting homeless bums sit in the limited number of chairs and thus deterring paying customers from entering.

In Hollywood, and at #Woke Marvel Comics, they're alienating the audience they actually have but which they openly despise -- older men with traditional notions of "male gender roles," often white -- in order to market all of their books to the audience they wish they could have, non-white girls and women and members of the LGBT alphabet soup.

Did the makers of Terminator: Dark Fate think that the usual audience for a Terminator movie would enjoy a heavy-handed racial revenge murder fantasy featuring a Hispanic Terminator killing scores of ICE agents and Border Patrol officers?

They couldn't have though that -- but they thought the phantom audience of #Woke young minorities would love it.

And most girls and women and most members of the LGBT alphabet soup do not like stories which are mostly about combat.

They're intentionally trolling and outright insulting the actual customer base, in order to curry favor with a broke-ass sad-losers-on-Twitter phantom customer base.

A phantom customer base that never becomes real.

The actual audience for this fare departs, and the phantom audience never comes to replace it.

But they do get Retweets from #Woke racists and sexists on Twitter -- which, unfortunately, are not a valuable commodity which can be exchanged for cash.

But they continue to prioritize their businesses towards accumulating huge piles of meaningless Twitter "You Go Girl" affirmations while deprioritizing actual sales to actual customers.

And then they wonder why they're losing money and market share.

But hey -- one day, those Twitter retweets are going to be worth their weight in gold.

(Spoiler: electronic messages have no weight at all, or a subatomic weight if you count electrons, and therefore their weight in gold is either zero or practically zero. I mean, electrons have so little mass that they're routinely assumed to be zero even when calculating the weight of mere protons and neutrons in a single atomic nucleus. But enjoy your hoard of Twitter Affirmation Wealth, gals!)

White House Aide Sues Politico for Defamation, Citing Story Written by "Fusion Nat" Bertrand

—Ace of Spades

Get 'em.

A White House official on Monday sued Politico and one of its reporters over stories and tweets that he says falsely accuse him of “lying, deceit and unethical conduct.”

Kash Patel, the National Security Council's senior counterterrorism director, is seeking more than $25 million in damages in the suit filed in Virginia....

The lawsuit also names Natasha Bertrand, a Politico reporter and MSNBC contributor, as well as Politico owner Robert Allbritton.

...

While Politico is the nominal target of the suit, it represents an aggressive attempt by a presidential aide to put Adam Schiff's handling of the impeachment inquiry itself on trial. Describing the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee as "a demagogue with an axe to grind against the president," Patel portrays Schiff as running roughshod over rules and interviewing witnesses "to create click-bait headlines and soundbites to feed to his co-conspirators and media sympathizers."

It's time to open up the libel laws, as a prescient man once said.

Charlie's Angels Is The Newest #Woke Box Office Catastrophe, Failing to Even Break the $8.7 Million Mark in North American Opening

—Ace of Spades

They can't go bankrupt fast enough.

But they're trying. Oh, is Hollywood trying!

In the wake of Terminator: Dark Fate's failure at the B.O..., we have the further breakdown of cinema IP in Sony’s Charlie's Angels reboot, which is tanking with a God-awful $8.6M domestic opening, $27.9M worldwide (from 26 markets), 3 Stars on Screen Engine-Comscore’s PostTrak, and a B+ Cinemascore.

The Elizabeth Banks-directed-written and produced pic is also opening in 27 offshore markets, China being one where it’s also bombing, with a $7.8M 3-day take in third place behind No. 1 local title Somewhere Winter ($13.1M). All of this is primed to further spur a WTF reaction and anxiety among film development executives in town in regards to what the hell exactly works in this have-and-have-not era of the theatrical marketplace.

...

Says RelishMix, which also foresaw this disaster approaching on social media chatter, "Angels is the latest example in a 'woke' effort to reboot a franchise that many were not all that interested in to start with. In fact, many references to the 2000 version get a call-out as a reason this one doesn’t seem to compare -- whether it’s the cast or the action teased from the film. And, as observed with other recent films, some action/adventure, unfortunately fans say they’re steering clear of this one because of its 'girl power' messaging."

Full-time feminist and occasional director Elizabeth Banks tried the usual "dark marketing" tactic of insulting men to get the women (and liberal soy-based men) who despise men to support her movie, making "Gender Aggrievement" the central marketing pitch for a popcorn movie:

In the age of reboots, revivals, and sequels, Elizabeth Banks wants to know why people are criticizing her for creating another chapter in the Charlie’s Angels franchise.

In a recent profile in WSJ Magazine, the Charlie’s Angels writer/director/star responded to the criticism she's been facing for rebooting the franchise with Kristen Stewart, Ella Balinska, and Naomi Scott. "You've had 37 Spider-Man movies and you’re not complaining!" Banks says. "I think women are allowed to have one or two action franchises every 17 years -- I feel totally fine with that."

In this interview, she announces that almost every story in history is told from a "cisgendered white male perspective" and that any woke story is therefore "fresher."

Audiences don't seem to agree, especially because almost every movie is now #Woke gender-swapped trash. How is this "fresh" given that eight thousand other movies in the past five years do it?

"Fresh" would be a movie about men doing masculine-type things. People would be shocked at that bizarre, unexpected gender twist.

She also declares that men have a responsibility to see women's movies, and I guess particularly those women's movies which intentionally demean and scapegoat men.

She also made sure that audiences knew this movie wasn't only for women -- it was also for the other 50% of the country, Teh Gays.

Elizabeth Banks, writer, director, producer, and costar of the new Charlie’s Angels from Sony, has delivered an action-packed popcorn flick that's fun, feminist, and queer.

One of the sociologically relevant pieces of Charlie’s Angels is a scene in which a female informant exchanges information, not for money but for menstrual products and birth control in order to help women in her native Turkey. Regarding that plot point in the movie, Banks says:

"One of the great tropes of all spy movies is the informant and the payment to the informant. I was really interested in stories from women around the globe who are less interested in receiving money for information because money can be taken from them by the men in their lives. And they actually need menstrual products and birth control and Pampers and Advil. I was so moved by the idea that there is a network of women around the world that are helping each other get things."

While Charlie's Angels has always been inherently campy, it's never been overtly queer -- that is, until Banks and Stewart chose to include a nod to Sabina’s queerness. Banks has also incorporated a few other nods and cameos that are sure to please LGBTQ viewers.

Oh, she worked in tampons, too. I was afraid the movie would completely overlook the classic action movie trope of Tampon Lecturing. This is really a four-quadrant play!

Banks just couldn't stop being annoying AF:

'Charlie's Angels' Director Elizabeth Banks Challenges Trolls: Action Movies Are My Realm

The film even opens with Stewart’s character commenting to a meaty male mark that she thinks "women can do anything." It's tongue-in-cheek, but it's also a fast summation of the messages Banks wanted her second feature to impart. "I wanted it to be a celebration of women," Banks said. "I wanted it to remind people that women are everywhere, that you can’t ignore us and that when you underestimate us, you give us a superpower[."]

...

Finally, as for anyone who might sneer at a woman claiming feminist space in the action realm (see: the recent reintroduction of Linda Hamilton, plus two other new female characters in "Terminator: Dark Fate," which emboldened scads of online trolls), Banks offered these thoughts.

"I will say that I think they’re apples and oranges, because 'Charlie's Angels' has always been about women, and the DNA of it is about women working together on this team," she said. "We are not treading in a male space. I think that's one of the big differences between these two things. I don’t know, I'm less concerned about that. Of course, those trolls are horrifying, but you know, I challenge them to get up and make a fucking movie action movie. I welcome any of them into my realm."

Elizabeth Banks must have know her Gay Tampon Propaganda was going to tank, because, just on the eve of the movie's release, she started making excuses for its impending failure.

Get ready for a shock: She blamed men and their sexism.

The filmmaker, who also wrote and produced “Charlie’s Angels” and stars in the movie as Bosley, called out a potential box office bomb as being sexist. "Look, people have to buy tickets to this movie, too. This movie has to make money," she said. "If this movie doesn’t make money it reinforces a stereotype in Hollywood that men don't go see women do action movies."

Although it is true that people -- not just men-- are reluctant to see action movies starring women -- for one simple reason, because it's dumb and silly -- it's not true that they won't see such movies.

John Nolte points out that men turned out for two Charlie's Angels movies in 2000 and 2003, despite the latter one being terrible.

[T]his has nothing to do with gender, and I can prove it... Here are two numbers that are not adjusted for nearly two decades of inflation: $40 million and $37.6 million.

All the way back in 2000, a movie based on the television show Charlie’s Angels and called Charlie’s Angels opened to $40 million. It would eventually gross $139 million domestic and $264 million worldwide (back when the international market was nowhere near as open as it is today).

All the way back in 2003, the sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, opened to $37.6 million. It would eventually gross $101 million domestic and $260 million worldwide.

But here’s the difference...

The 2000 version of Charlie's Angels somehow managed to drive home its empowerment and sisterhood message without dumpster-diving into misandry. And unlike this current trio of generic, androgynous, mall-girl angels, the 2000 version featured three sexy women: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu, who didn’t apologize for being sexy, who used that power to convince us guys the movie was worth our time, and they delivered.

....

And so, Charlie's Angels (2019) is the fifth franchise the man-hating woketards have destroyed, the fifth golden goose strangled by these joyless and the artless harpies.

Is there any hot new take -- besides Tampon Lecturing -- in this movie?

No. As this critic points out, they're still doing the same 90s era You Go Girl shallow empowerment sloganeering they did in the first Charlie's Angels movie, 25 years ago.

Drew Barrymore and McG came along with a take that knowingly winked at its own history of sexploitation while playing into a very 1990s "you go girl" concept.

...

What is most surprising about the latest "Charlie's Angels," which was written and directed by Elizabeth Banks, who also plays the part of Bosley, is how little the "go girl" feminism of the 2000 film has evolved in nearly 20 years.

That doesn't surprise me. It's always been a shallow, glib bumper-sticker. It's a marching chant, not a philosophy.

By the way, the big reveal at the end of this movie is that the mysterious "Charlie" who's been giving these assignments to women for 50 years now... has been A Strong Empowered Woman all along, using a voice-changer to disguise her voice.

You go girl.

No, seriously: You go girl. You go NOW.

The Morning Rant

—OregonMuse

"I guess nobody told him that, in order to be impeached, a president has to actually do something that's impeachable, so he can't be impeached "from day one." Impeachment is a last resort, not the first line of defense against executive branch corruption.

"But I don't care about anything Dean has to say. The point is, if CNN were a serious news organization, that comment should've gotten John Dean booted off permanently. It is not any kind of sober political analysis, it is just a childish hurled by a partisan hack. Note to CNN: this is why we don't take you seriously. They don't do actual news any more. They just bring out one guy who says 'Orange Man bad', followed by another guy who says 'Orange Man bad' followed by a woman who says, 'Orange Man bad'. This is the sum total of their news coverage

"You know, if Saturday Night Live is looking for 'edgy' material, they can always grab that old 'Death to America' skit from Mad TV and update it to 'Orange Man Bad' as a way to poke satirical fun at the incompetent clown show CNN has become. There is a gold mine of material for comedy here, for anyone to pick up and use. It would be hip, edgy, and subversive of the dominant 'Orange Man Bad' paradigm in our culture. Isn't this precisely the sort of thing that progressives say they like?"

Serious Journalisming:

>> @DanRather's takeaway after the first two days of televised impeachment hearings: "Truth is closing in, facts are closing in..." pic.twitter.com/HmIKTIixB0

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 17, 2019

Yay Sisterhood!

Who Dis:

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For the 'Ettes:

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Friday's Celebs: Joan Fontaine and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. They were both in the 1939 movie Gunga Din.

Today's Edition Of The Morning Rant Is Brought To You By Irish Beef Stew:

(click for bigger stew)

Recipe here.

Close it up

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

>

Mrs. Johnstone And Her Son
George Romney

The Morning Report - 11/18/19

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. Start of a brand new week and the same old Schiff. Friday's hearing involving the much-ballyhooed testimony of ex-Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch sure was blockbuster; she essentially put the final nail into the coffin of whatever case was being attempted to hang President Trump. When finally asked salient questions instead of probing her feelings, she stated unequivocally she never met Trump, had no first-hand knowledge of the actual phone conversation between him and Ukie prexy Zelensky, could not name one high crime or misdemeanor involving the latter and even admitted that it was the Obama administration that had withheld the vital military aid which might have prevented Russia from invading and annexing the Crimea. You know, Russia. The country that supposedly colluded with Trump or used him as a puppet to steal the 2016 election from Hillary? The woman who as Secretary of State engineered the sale of 20% of America's strategic uranium stockpiles to Russia? But, let's not let these minor details get in the way of a good story.

The other aspect of Friday's national embarrassment was the rude and shabby treatment that Adam Schiff-for-Brains meted out to fellow committee member Elise Stefanik. One reason was that Stefanik's backbench status in the lower chamber belies her smarts but the other and frankly more disgusting reason was the political calculus that having a woman grill Yovanovitch takes away the look-at-the-evil-misogynist-Republicans-making-a-woman-cry meme that the Dems always use as a ploy to misdirect the public via creating a sympathetic witness. That failed, especially when Stefanik finally was able to interrogate her. The reaction from the Dems was not only to give Yovanovitch, whose actions in her official capacity were tantamount to insubordination and worse when the administration wanted to legally and legitimately question Ukrainian officials about the Bidens and Burisma, a standing ovation but some fool PhotoShopped Stefanik flipping the bird to her as she exited the hearing. And, of course the media pounced.

Look, in every real sense, the Democrats have nothing, never had anything and will never get anything even remotely resembling a legitimate high crime of misdemeanor on this President that warrants impeachment. But, they will persist because a) they're completely out of their minds (with the possible exception of that Democrat Congressman Jeff Van Drew who sees this as a looming disaster) with hatred, b) they're candidates and platform for 2020 is terrifying and repulsive even to those marginally interested in politics and c) the Deep State globalists in and outside government will not abide by having their grand strategy to control the destiny of this nation and its people taken from them.

To that point, even Nancy Palsi's botox-addled mind moves her pie hole to utter words that are quite revelatory. President Trump must disprove the charges against him. So much for due process but if she and her cohorts are hell bent for leather on this, the words of John Wayne in The Green Berets may come back to haunt her: "Out here, due process is a bullet." For those keeping score, the first shots were already fired by James Hodgkinson, for which Dick Durbin has yet to answer for vis a vis his close association with the would-be mass assassin. At this stage we are a nation divided and because of the Left's position that America as founded and everything it stands for is either inherently evil or illegitimate, there is no common ground with which to even attempt some sort of rapprochement. G-d help us.

SHAM-PEACHMENT FOLLIES

• E-Mails: Open Society Kept Alleged "Whistleblower" Eric Ciaramella Updated on George Soros' Personal Ukraine Activities
  
• Schiff-for-Brains' "Hail Marie" Hearing Comes up Empty
  
• Schiff-for-Brains Alleges Witness Intimidation As Trump Attacks Yovanovitch on Twitter
  
• Schiff-for-Brains Does Not Like It When a Republican Woman Speaks Without His Permission
  
• Ol' Yeller Levin Shreds Palsi Pelosi's Bogus Bribery Accusation Against President Trump
  
• Pelosi Scraps Presumption Of Innocence: Trump Needs To Prove He Is Innocent
  
• Blame the Impeachment Flop on Botox
  
• Time to Subpoena Alexandra Chalupa
  
• Stefanik Owns Schiff-for-Brains and the Dems
  
• Corrosive Campus Court Culture Seeps Into Congress
  
• Revolt of the Ukraine Desk Bureaucrats
  
• Our Ambassadors Used to be Made of Sterner Stuff
  
• Could It Be That Trump Has Been Setting Up the Left All Along?

  CLINTON/OBAMA COUP, CONGRESSIONAL PERSECUTION, SPYGATE, DEEP STATE, MUELLER DECEPTION
  AG Barr rips into the Dems for sabotaging the President. How about some major indictments, sir? Also, since Jeffrey Epstein did not kill himself, will we ever get to the bottom of his suicide and several good essays on the extremely deep nature of the Deep State and the need to defang it, if that is even at all possible.

• Barr: Democrats Have Tried To "Sabotage" Trump Presidency
  
• The Horror of Opposition Research Conducted by the Government Itself
  
• Will the Epstein Story Ever be Fully Told?
  
• How to Shut Down the Democrats' Alternative Universe
  
• Impeachment Lesson: Cut Government

  DEMOCRAT-LEFTIST SCANDALS, CRIMES, CHUTZ-POCRISY, MESHUGAS
  Mayor Buttplug under fire for allegedly faking American black support for some scheme of his and forget the NAACP; we have the NAA - Al Sharpton.

• Mayor Buttplug Under Fire for Exaggerating Black Support
  
• Report: Al Sharpton Paid $1 Million by His Own Charity in 2018 (NAA...AS - jjs)

  JOE BIDET, HUNTER BIDET UKRAINE, CHI-COM, OTHER SCANDALS
  The real criminals and the real crimes, for those who are so inclined.

• The Bidens and Burisma

  AMNESTY, IMMIGRATION, BORDER CRISIS, BORDER SECURITY
  To the border we go and Snoozy McSnoozerson is talking in his sleep about immigration policy, this Massachusetts judge should be arrested and charged with aiding and abetting a federal crime, DACA deserves to be broomed con gusto. And for those demanding the right to citizenship, your parents made you a stateless person due to their criminality. It's not our concern and we owe you nothing. Also, ICE rescues 1,000 children being used as props to gain asylum and many more actual predators preying upon them, a Vietnam Vet is killed just before Veterans Day by an illegal alien driving drunk. That kind of explains the Pew poll, and I think they are definitely skewing with the numbers. Probably closer to 8 or 9 out of 11.

• Jeff Sessionszzz Explains How GOP Can Dominate for Two Generations with America First Immigration Vision
  
• "It Was Clearly Criminal": How a Massachusetts Judge Allegedly Helped An Illegal Alien Escape ICE (arrest the son of a bitch and defrock his ass - jjs)
  
• Nearly 80,000 Illegal Aliens Carried An Arrest Record Before Winning DACA Approval, Government Data Show
  
• ICE Announces Rescue of Over 1,000 Children From Exploitation, and the Arrests of Thousands of Accused Predators
  
• A DACA Ruling Won't Solve the DACA Dilemma
  
• President Trump Did the Right Thing with the Dreamers. Will the Supreme Court?
  
• Vietnam War Vet Allegedly Killed by Drunk-Driving Illegal Alien Hours Before Veterans Day
  
• Pew Research: 6-in-11 Americans Want More Deportations of Illegal Aliens

  OFFICIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY-ENDORSED ANTI-SEMITISM
  But, but, but Orange-Man-Bad! Feh.

• Democrats to Israel: Go to Hell
  
• Jew-Hater Bro-Fo Omar Keynote Speaker at Florida CAIR Event

  POLITICS
  Trump makes unscheduled stop at Walter Reed but says he's in the pink, despite the latest lie about exaggerated black support, Mayor Buttplug rises over flopping Fauxcahontas, essay on why impeachment will actually help the Democrats (I disagree) yet a poll shows independents not very keen on it, Jon Bel Edwards wins a surprisingly close race against challenger Ed Rispone in Louisiana. The Dem-Left-Media Complex is crowing about this as a bellwether for Trump in 2020, but given the fact that Edwards is not a hardcore Marxist, was an incumbent and the race was much closer than previously predicted it would be, I don't put much stock in it as a national indicator. Elsewhere, Dems attempting to make Colorado another anti-Electoral College state while Tank Abrams calls the latter "racist," at least Deval Patrick isn't going to lie about dark money, Aurora, CO elects pro-immigration enforcement Mike Coffman mayor, Obama agrees with Joy Blowhard on being quiet about the radical crap on the campaign trail, are donors really going to back an Al Franken comeback, interesting essay on how the Dems should have let Clinton get impeached and removed so as to pave the way for 10 years of Algore, and if "the resistance" wins.

• President Donald Trump Says He's In "Very Good" Health Following Unscheduled Visit To Walter Reed Hospital
  
• Iowa Poll: Elizabeth Wan-pum Drops After Medicare-For-All Plan, Buttplug Jumps to Big Lead
  
• Here's How Impeachment Helps Democrats Even If They Fail (disagree completely with the premise, but you all decide - jjs)
  
• Reuters Poll: 36% of Independents Tuning Out Impeachment Hearings
  
• Incumbent Democrat Edwards Ekes Out Victory Over GOP Challenger in Louisiana
  
• California Dems Flood Colorado With Cash Ahead of National Popular Vote Referendum
  
• Tank Abrams: "The Electoral College Is Racist"
  
• Deval Patrick Breaks From Some 2020 Democrats, Won't Swear Off Accepting Super PAC Money
  
• Opponents of Immigration Enforcement Suffer Another Loss At the Ballot Box: Mike Coffman Wins Mayoral Race in Aurora, CO
  
• Serial Groper Al Franken Mingles With Wealthy Democratic Donors
  
• Obama Warns Democrat Candidates that Voters "Don't Want to See Crazy Stuff" From Them (lie about it until after you're elected - jjs)
  
• Barack Obama and the Behar Doctrine
  
• How the Democrats Bungled Impeachment and Prevented Al Gore from Becoming a 10-Year President
  
• If the Resistance Wins

  FIRST AMENDMENT, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, BIG BROTHER BIG TECH
  On the smearing of Trump over the hero K-9 who helped take out Baghdadi, Steve Scalise rips into hack nepotism-beneficiary Chris Wallace and Trump approves and how Antifarian fascist terrorists silence opposition.

• Dog Day Afternoon
  
• Steve Scalise Battles Fox News Host Chris Wallace; Trump Fires Back In Tweet
  
• The Iron Front of Intimidation

  ABORTION
  David Daleiden will appeal his conviction for daring to expose the Mengele meat market, pro-life activist sets Debbie Wasserman-Test's hair on fire with truth-napalm, and the US plus 10 other nations reject UN summit on baby-killing.

• Pro-Life Activist Will Appeal Planned Parenthood Undercover Video Verdict
  
• Allie Stuckey Gives Debbie Wasserman-Test a Pro-Life Reality Check at House Abortion Hearing
  
• "No International Right to Abortion": US, 10 Other Countries Reject UN Summit Outcome

  FOREIGN AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL
  Bo-Jo looking good in latest Brit election polling, Hong Kong protesters occupying university facing potential regime massacre, Xi doesn't care that he might kill the golden goose, no coverage in the agitprop media but massive protests breaking out across Iran, Russia reportedly tried to cover up that nuke missile/torpedo test explosion (shocking), Chile has the right idea for us all and what will Europe do in the face of an imperialist Putin and an I-keeeel-you Islam?

• UK: Boris Johnson Extends Poll Lead Ahead of General Election
  
• Beseiged Hong Kong Protesters Prepare for Bloody Crackdown as US Urges Restraint
  
• Why Beijing's Likely to Kill the Hong Kong Golden Goose
  
• Iran Condemns US Show Of Support For "Rioters" (protests have spread to 100 cities and towns - jjs)
  
• Russia Reportedly Tried to Cover Up Explosion of Skyfall Nuke Super Weapon
  
• Chile Boots 50 Illegals Involved in Rioting... Mostly from Cuba and Venezuela
  
• Europe and Its Enemies

  DEFENSE, MILITARY, SECURITY AFFAIRS
  So, Trump pardons three soldiers accused of "war crimes" and the Dem-Media Complex goes nuts, but when Obama pardons actual traitors and spies you dare not criticize his pants crease. Also, we ignore the strategic nature of the Arctic at our peril.

• Obama Granted Clemency to Terrorists and Traitors, But We're Supposed to Be Angry at Trump's Pardons
  
• America Should Not Abandon the Arctic

  WE-ALL-SLAM-FOR-I-SLAM
  Brooklyn attack on synagogue and Jewish woman memory-holed and Daniel Greenfield on the descent into hell on earth for Scandinavia.

• Brooklyn: Man Arrested for Egging Synagogue Turns Out Not to Be a White Supremacist
  
• Greenfield: Muslim AK-47s and Bombings Turn Sweden Into War Zone

  DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THE BUREAUCRACY, WASTE, FRAUD, CORRUPTION
  Living at home is big again and of course the solution to everything is more and bigger government.

• The Return of Multigenerational Housing
  
• A Liberal Doomsayer Has the Solution to All Our Woes

  THE ECONOMY, STUPID
  More winning with the Chi-Coms.

• Chinese State Media: Trade Phone Call Was "Constructive"

  CRIME & PUNISHMENT, NON-DOSTOYEVSKY
  Here's one way to motivate at-risk kids from dropping out and Doomberg flip flops on stop and frisk.

• Two Chemistry Professors Accused of Making Meth in School Lab
  
• Bloomberg Flip Flops On Stop-and-Frisk as He Mulls Presidential Bid

  EDUCATION, INDOCTRINATION
  Professor bemoans being persecuted on campus and an ex-iron curtain citizen compares our academia with what she grew up with and sees no difference.

• I Didn't Have to Die on This Hill, But I Did
  
• Detention, Socialist Style (or How I Never Learned Math)

  HEALTHCARE
  Big government is harmful to your health... and finances and freedom.

• Why Primary Care Costs a Trillion Dollars More Than It Should
  
• Why Everyone Should Fear Universal Healthcare

  RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, LYSENKOISM
  Usual agitprop blaming California wildfires on "climate change."

• So Much Hot Air About California's Wildfires

  FEMINAZISM, TRANSGENDER PSYCHOSIS, HOMOSEXUALIZATION, WAR ON MASCULINITY/NORMALCY
  Sandersnista queer-panders and with Virginia gone will that help the transgender psychos amend the very Constitution they want to destroy?

• Sandersnista Goes Full Toothy McBigTits AOC: "Time for Us to Become the Party that Fights for Queer Liberation"
  
• Democrats' Sweep In Virginia Puts Pro-Transgender Constitutional Amendment Back In Play

  CULTURE WARS, HITHER & YON
  Charlie's Angels headed for the discount rack, Stephen A. Smith in feud with some ignorant jock about Kaepernick, Justice Gorsuch on rights, liberty and other topics, and saying no to being pigeon-holed.

• Get Woke, Go Broke: Charlie's Angels Bombs at the Box Office
  
• ESPN's Stephen Smith Slammed By Panthers Safety Eric Reid Over "Kaepernick" Rant; Smith Strikes Back
  
• Gorsuch: "Now Civility Is Like a Bad Word and Civics Is Banished"
  
• How One Man Refuses to be Defined By a Racial Identity

Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.

NOTE: The opinions expressed in some links may or may not reflect my own. I include them because of their relevance to the discussion of a particular issue.

ALSO: The Morning Report is cross-posted at CutJibNewsletter.com if you want to continue the conversation all day.

Follow us on Twitter: @CutJibNews

Sunday Overnight Open Thread (11/17/19)

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

Humanity has unquestionably one really effective weapon—laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution—these can lift at a colossal humbug—push it a little—weaken it a little, century by century, but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand. — Mark Twain

Quote II

As of September of this year, the Senate had been forced to invoke cloture on 236 Trump nominees — each of those representing its own massive consumption of legislative time meant only to delay an inevitable confirmation. How many times was cloture invoked on nominees during President Obama’s first term? 17 times. The Second President Bush’s first term? Four times. It is reasonable to wonder whether a future President will actually be able to form a functioning administration if his or her party does not hold the Senate. Attorney General William Barr

Quote III

“Respect is a cardinal value in our society. As public officials, we must be exemplary.”French Cultural Minister, Franck Riester

Quote IV

We all talk about Trump as an “existential threat” but his side sees Democratic control of government the exact same way. And when both sides believe the other guy taking over means the end of the world, yes, you can have a civil war. Trump rallies are filled with words like “enemies of the people,” “human scum.” They talk of people to be locked up. Well, you can’t lock all us up. Liberals are described as weak, lame, coddling, oversensitive, and limp-dicked.

Which are strong words for a bunch of mouth-breathers, shit kickers, knuckle draggers,bible thumpers, sister-fuckers and rubes Bill Maher

***

Doesn't he have some bootleg booze to peddle? Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is an avid anti-vaxxer.

Just two organizations were responsible for the majority of anti-vaccine advertisements on Facebook before the social media giant restricted such content in March of this year, according to a November 13 study in the journal Vaccine.

As anti-vax movement gets weirder—and dumber—Facebook announces crackdown
Of 145 anti-vaccine Facebook advertisements that ran between May 31, 2017 and February 22, 2019, the World Mercury Project and a group called Stop Mandatory Vaccination together ran 54% of them.

The World Mercury Project, which ran the most ads of any single source, is an organization closely aligned with the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. Both are spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer turned prolific peddler of dangerous anti-vaccine misinformation. He and his organizations promote conspiracy theories about vaccine safety, including the roundly debunked claim that safe, life-saving immunizations are linked to autism. More recently, Kennedy has become a prominent opponent of laws aimed at increasing vaccination rates among school children.

***

The NFL continues to be a laughing stock. Ungrateful bastard is given a break by the NFL.

It’s not often that the NFL holds a special workout for an unemployed player during Week 11 of the regular season.

But then again, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is not like most players, thanks to the massive media attention and controversy constantly swirling around him.

Kaepernick, who last threw a meaningful NFL pass on New Year’s Day 2017, was firmly back in the spotlight this week when news broke that he would be participating in a special workout in front of NFL personnel.

Rumor has it that Stevie Wonder is the NFL's pass interference replay official.

***

Good work if you can get it. The Rev. Al hits one hell of a pay day.

Last year, Sharpton’s National Action Network — a non-profit linked to the Freddy’s Fashion Mart massacre and anti-Semitic Muslim Rep. Rashida Tlaib — paid him $1,046,948, according to tax filings reviewed by the New York Post.

“Sharpton got a $324,000 salary — 32% higher than his 2017 pay — in addition to a $159,596 bonus and $563,352 in ‘other compensation,'” the Post reported.

The nonprofit reportedly claimed the extra money was simply money it owed him as per the work he’d done for it between 2004 and 2017. He was “underpaid and received no bonus,” the Harlem-based group said in a statement to the Post.

“NAN said it hired an executive compensation firm that determined the good reverend was owed $1.252 million — but he was generously willing to take $500,000 less,” the Post added.

***

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is sorry that he made NYC safe. Pandering without giving away the treasury.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has yet to formally announce whether he will run for president in 2020, but during remarks where he looked to the future before a majority-black church in Brooklyn, he apologized for his controversial “stop and frisk” policy that sowed distrust of police in black and Latino communities during his administration.

That policy, which was later repealed, allowed police to stop individuals on the street and briefly question and frisk them if they had reasonable suspicion that the person may be committing, had committed or is about to commit a crime. During his Sunday speech, Bloomberg recognized that this led to “far too many innocent people” being stopped, many of them black or Latino.

“Over time I’ve come to understand something that I’ve long struggled to admit to myself,” Bloomberg told congregants at the Christian Cultural Center in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. “I got something important wrong. I got something important really wrong.”

***

Bob Lazar Says the FBI Raided Him to Seize Area 51's Alien Fuel. The Truth Is Weirder
New documents obtained by Motherboard show why the FBI raided the Area 51 insider's scientific supply company.

***

Even Old Testament folks said no Christmas music before Thanksgiving.

Scholars all over the world now believe that King Saul actually threw a spear at David after the young musician insisted on playing Christmas music well before Thanksgiving.

It was early November, just after Halloween and still a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, and David played Christmas music, even though it wasn't really even close to December yet.

"If you play 'Little Drummer Boy' one more time, I'm going to pin you to the wall," King Saul reportedly growled. "I double-dog dare you."

David continued happily playing Christmas song after Christmas song, from "The Christmas Shoes" to "Here Comes Santa Claus." The last straw came when David started in on "Last Christmas," and Saul went into a blinding rage. He grabbed a spear and hurled it at David.

"NO MORE MR. NICE SAUL!" Saul screamed as he hurled the ranged weapon at David's face. "Make it stop!"

***

Looks like the current pope missed Genesis in Theology 101.

Genesis 1:26-28 King James Version (KJV)
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

THE ONT MUSICAL INTERLUDE

Born on this day: November 17, 1938
Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian singer, (1971 UK No.30 single 'If You Could Read My Mind', 1974 US No.1 single 'Sundown'). via thisdayinmusic.com

&&&

Born on this day: November 17, 1946 - Martin Barre
English rock musician Martin Barre best known for his work with progressive rock band Jethro Tull from their second album in 1969 to the band's initial dissolution in 2012. via thisdayinmusic.com

***

Repeat after me, marijuana is not heroin. Marijuana is not heroin. Genius Award Winner.

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - The Marijuana Control Board unanimously voted to revoke a marijuana handler’s permit for a man charged with trying to import heroin to Nome.

On Oct 29, Quincy James Iyatunguk, 28, was arrested at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport with 8.8 grams of heroin. Alaska State Troopers say the heroin had been concealed internally.

The amount of heroin was said to make 88 individual doses and was valued at roughly $10,560, according to troopers.

On Wednesday, members of the Marijuana Control Board considered whether or not to take Iyatunguk’s handler permit. Members of the board say he was a manager at Good Leaf, a Nome-based marijuana store.

When arrested, Iyatunguk was transporting marijuana to Nome. Erika McConnell, the former director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office, says the marijuana “did not state the correct manufacturer.”

The marijuana was taken back to Good Weeds, a store based out of Anchorage.

***

A young man and hero bags are Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

Tyler Stallings was 4 years old when he first learned that some veterans are homeless.

Veterans are part of the Maryland boy's extended family and he always thought of them as heroes. Homeless veterans didn't make sense to him.
He wanted to do something to help them right away, so he asked his mom if he could build houses for them. At such a young age, he wasn't in the best position to start building houses.

***

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Cob Math.

Notice: Posted with permission by the Ace Media Empire and AceCorp, LLC. The ONT has been reviewed and approved by the law firm of Dewey, Cheatem & Howe, S.C.

Close it up

Gun Thread: Mail Call!! [Weasel]

—Open Blogger

Dayum! You people really hit the ol' Gun Thread mailbox hard this week! So much so, you all have pretty well written the thread your own bad selves! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! And this means I get to use the lonely mailbox picture again! Life is bueno, amigos and amigettes. Without further introductory blabbering on my part, lets get right to it, shall we?

First we have this story and question sent in by our pal ibguy whose friend Sam had a recent confrontation:

Sam's story:

"How sad. I suppose civility is truly dead with the younger generation. As many of you know, I live downtown above my business (really cool). This afternoon a young man parked next to me in my small parking lot (right next to a massive, public lot). Normally I am not bothered (I don't care about such things) BUT my wife was leaving soon and was uncomfortable that someone was parking in our lot after hours. I get it. Women should be concerned about their safety and it was odd that he parked where he did - considering that the large, public lot was closer to where it turned out he was working). There is a prominently displayed no parking during non-business hours sign (tow sign specifying parking in our lot after-hours may cause your vehicle to be towed - pretty standard stuff for businesses).

So, I go out.

I don't see anyone around and as I'm starting to take a phone pic of his license plate, this young man comes running up to me - threatening to "knock my teeth out" and "shoot me" if I don't get away from his car. He was around the corner of a nearby building taking pictures of a young girl. I was surprised. He was a very nice-looking young man who I would think was taught better manners and behavior.

I tend to do the unconventional when surprised. I spread my arms wide and told him to go ahead and hit or shoot an old, fat man. He continued to threaten me as he (and she) entered the car and drove off. OK, his camera was a digital SLR and he had a nice car. He was well groomed and nicely dressed (as was she). So, I didn't think I was dealing with any sort of thuggery. But his vehemence made me wonder how his Mother raised someone who felt so entitled as to do such actions without permission. I am a BIG believer in entrepreneurship. So, had he asked I would certainly given him "run" of the entire place. Ah well, we move on."

Here's my question; draw or no (not necessarily shoot)?

Well that's an interesting problem. Sam was threatened with bodily harm, but apparantly no weapon was evident. What do you all think? Was there enough provocation there for Sam to draw a weapon, or would you have done as Sam did and try to diffuse the situation another way? As you consider your answer, think about how a prosecutor might spin this to a jury if things had escalated and the troublemaker had been shot.

*******

Next we have a range report from our pal That Deplorable SOB Van Owen:

I had an interesting and instructive visit to our range yesterday.

I had saved my nickels and saved my dimes and finally got the scratch together to indulge my lust for a brand new Colt Combat Elite Commander in .45 ACP. 4.25" barrel, ambi safety, for my southpawness, and Novak night sights that I can actually SEE. Excited as Ralphie with his Red Ryder, I took it with a bunch of ammo to break it in some.

Functioned great with 230 grain hardball from Speer, Remington, and of course Winchester White Box. Not a hiccup with Winchester PDX1, which I use as my defensive load. Then I tried some TulAmmo that I had.

First round . . . POP. Not good, I sez to myself. I drop the mag, point the muzzle in a safe direction, and wait a decent interval. Jack out the round and see that the primer detonated, but not the powder. Maybe an aberration, I tell myself. Fire another couple of rounds without incident, then on the third round I notice that the recoil was very light, and I swear I heard a sizzling sound.. I couldn't tell if the slide had cycled or not. So I drop the mag and wait again. Pull back the slide. No round in the chamber, and no (Thank God!) round stuck in the barrel.

I may be dumb, but I ain't stupid. I unloaded the TulAmmo and decided to consign the remainder of the box to the bottom of the lake where I may have an unfortunate canoeing accident if Blackface Northam gets his legislative agenda passed. Interestingly enough the TulAmmo wasn't ancient, maybe three years old, and had been stored in good conditions in the same metal GI ammo box as the Speer that I shot. Inspection of the rounds themselves showed no evidence of corrosion or other problems.

This was the second incident I've had with TulAmmo. The first was 5.56 mm that had consistent failure to extract from my S&W M&P 15. I know lots of people swear by TulAmmo, but I will never buy that Russkie crap again. BTW, the gun shot better than I do. Much more practice is indicated!

Great report. Thanks That Deplorable SOB Van Owen! I've used TulAmmo some in 7.62x39 for plinking purposes, and haven't had a problem. I doubt I'd ever choose it for carry ammo, but for goofing around it seems OK. How about you all? What has your experience been with TulAmmo? Good, bad, or indifferent?

Here's a pic of TDSOBVO's neww shootin' iron. Congratulations on the Colt!

We also have a picture of the offending cartridge. Anyone see a problem with the primer?

*******

Next up we have a tree stand report from our pal Eromero al BigDaddy:
Big Buck probably said ‘Damn the free corn. That position is held by Isis, steer well clear of it’. I only saw does and young bucks this past week. But that 6 point will look pretty damn legal on the last day of deer season in January.

Word of your lethal bad-assery has reached the East Texas deer population! Thanks Eromero aB!

*******

Next we have a cleaning tip from our pal Neon Madman:

A recent article in American Rifleman about gun cleaning had mentioned using small Dixie cups to hold cleaning solvent for patches and brushes, so as not to contaminate the main bottle by dipping dirty brushes into it.

Something that I have found to be very useful over the years is a solvent pump bottle, available for a few bucks from Amazon or various industrial suppliers. Put some solvent in it, and a pump or two gives you a nice little pool of solvent for wetting patches, swabs, or brushes. When done, either close the cap and put it on the shelf, or pour the unused (and still clean) solvent back into the main bottle. They work great and also prevent the nasty type of mess you would get knocking over an open bottle of #9. The pic shows a bottle along with a .38 caliber swab, another handy item for working with revolvers.

Great tip! Thanks Neon Madman!

*******

Link-O-Rama

White Oak Armament: Black Friday Sale Preview
NRA Range Test: Savage 110 Storm Rifle
NRA Range Test: Springfield Armory Hellcat
Keefe Report: Taurus G3 9mm
Georgia Arms: Buy Ammo
Shooting Sports USA: Springfield Armory XD-E 9mm
Shooting Sports USA: Finding Your Natural Aiming Area (Natural Point of Aim)

***Mail Bag***

Winston Churchill's 1911 - - h/t CBD

Guess who was a 1911 fan? From the Churchill War Rooms of the Imperial War Museum in London. If you're in London, CBD reports the museum is worth a visit. Thanks CBD!

******

Please note the new and improved gmail account morongunthread at gmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

Close it up

Food Thread:The Belly Of The (Tasty) Beast, Sex In The City And Russian Layer Cake?

—CBD

I recently had a marvelous dish, but I can't find a photograph of anything similar, and I was too frantically stuffing it into my mouth to push myself away from the plate long enough to take a photograph. Above is a porchetta from New Orleans, and it looks similar enough, although the spicing would, I guess, be radically different.

What was it? Well, as far as I can tell it was a trimmed pork loin wrapped with pork belly, then slow roasted for awhile, then finished in a very hot oven to crisp the skin. It was served in three-inch slices, and every bite was wonderfully moist meat coupled with the fat of the pork belly and the intense crispiness of the skin. It was served with a Yorkshire pudding and sage gravy, with apple sauce (thankfully on the side, because apple sauce is disgusting).

Many pork belly recipes call for aggressive spices and herbs, but this one was pretty simple: salt and pepper and maybe a bit of thyme. Nothing else except for that luscious pork and pork fat...

This is excellent cooking. It wasn't chef food, it was more like the stuff great cooks make when they want something simple and wonderful. Start with good quality pork, pay attention to time and temperature, and you will be good to go. That's the kind of cooking most of us love, and actively seek out, whether it's coming out of a local restaurant or an aunt's kitchen.

******
For some strange reason, commenter Bluebell thinks this is the greatest cocktail in the entire cocktail-drinking world, and held her breath and stamped her feet until I posted the recipe. Personally, I think it is way too much work for what shakes out as a fancy Cosmo. I don't drink 'em, but some of you people (probably Mets and Red Sox and "Sex In The City" fans) might...

The recipe is from Bobby Flay, via Ina Garten and The Today Show, which should tell you all you need to know.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
  
• 6 1 x 3-inch strips orange zest, plus extra for garnish
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 750ml bottle good vodka
  
• 1 cup cranberry juice cocktail, preferably tart
  
• 1/4 cup Triple Sec
  
• Ice

Preparation

1. Several days ahead: Place the sugar, cranberries, 6 strips of orange zest, and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, until the cranberries start to pop open. Pour the vodka into a large pitcher, add the cranberry mixture, and store covered in the refrigerator for at least 2 days and up to 5 days.

2. When ready to serve, strain the vodka mixture, reserving the cranberries and discarding the orange zest. Stir in the cranberry juice cocktail and Triple Sec. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the drink mixture, shake for a full 30 seconds (it's longer than you think!), and strain into martini glasses. Rub the rim of each glass with fresh orange zest, spoon a few cranberries into each glass and serve ice cold.

The recipe claims this makes enough for six drinks, but as Bluebell pointed out, that is a hefty pour, even for tough Yankee fans. It's also pretty sweet, which would suggest a smaller drink, at least for me. Actually it's the sugar that makes it too big a pour, not the alcohol. My martinis and Old Fashioneds are that big, but they aren't sweet.
******
Chef John is a loon. By design. But still a loon. However, he is a very good cook, and behind the weird vocal tics and strange pacing lies a very useful source of cooking info.

Russian Honey Cake sounds great. And way too much work for me. But I am not a very good baker (except for bread), and even worse at fine baking like layer cakes. So someone please make this and invite me over for a slice or three. I'll bring the port.

******
Okay, I have a vague recollection of this stuff, but not in my house. Maybe on a camping trip with someone else, or just walking past it in the supermarket and pausing in horrid fascination.

Anyone remember this stuff? Here's a crazy Russian and a ditzy American tasting canned bread and not being sure what to make of it.

Hat Tip: redc1c4, who had it as a kid and blotted out the memory.

******
This is a very good question, and I have first-hand knowledge that this guy is correct about one of them, and second-hand knowledge that he is correct about a second one. I will defer to The Horde for the tequila tasting....
What Booze Is Worth Buying at Costco?
******

Skip continues on his quest to feed The Moron Horde. Hopefully he is a better cook than photographer, although he is an early riser, so he is forgiven for the paleness of his Dutch Baby...

This is the Dutch Baby I made Thursday morning, The top should have been a little more fried but was rushing it.

Buttered Black iron pan, apples sliced and placed pinwheeled fashion fried a bit, pancake mix poured over and covered on stove top. After judging the time right move to 350 degree oven until toothpick comes out clean.

******

Za'atar roasted chicken over sumac potatoes

I like za'atar quite a bit, but sumac less so, so I will try this without the sumac. The technique is solid, however I would suggest that you simply use a temperature probe and shoot for about 155 degrees in the breast.

******
Food and cooking tips, Castelvetrano olives with a sprinkle of chili flakes, young wild pigs, crisp bacon (although I am moving toward less crisp), thick and fluffy pita, and good tomatoes that aren't square, pale pink and covered with Mestizo E.coli: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com. Any advocacy of French Toast with syrup will result in disciplinary action up to and including being nuked from orbit. And yes, shaking a Manhattan is blasphemy...it's in the Bible!

Close it up

The Arc Of Turkey's Descent Into Islamic, Third-World Madness

—CBD

Daniel Pipes has an encyclopedic knowledge of the Arab and Muslim world, so his short histories of issues are always a worthwhile read.

His political analysis however tends to be slipshod, as he is overly fond of his own basic premise that militant Islam can be moderated and, as he demonstrates here, glossies over some really big events. Oh, and he is part of the moderate wing of the NeverTrumpers, although he hides it well.

Erdoğan's Turkish Delight: The Dangerous Reign of Ankara's Corrupt President

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's rule over Turkey began in March 2003 and divides precisely into two eras.

In the first half, which lasted 8 years and 4 months, he was brilliant. He oversaw unprecedented economic growth and regional influence. He tackled long-festering problems, such as the Kurdish issue, while discreetly handling his military overlords. His string of successes culminated in July 2011 with an assertion of control of the military, an accomplishment that had eluded all of his predecessors.

But what Pipes minimizes is a profound change in Turkey, and that is the destruction of the checks and balances that its modern founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk created; a strong, secular military establishment to prevent the worst excesses of Islamism. Erdoğan managed to destroy that balance, and set the table for Turkey's return to Islamic dictatorship.

Regardless, it is an interesting article that describes the path from popularly elected leader to dictator. Turkey is a regional power, and one that is currently our de facto enemy. It is an excellent example of the failure of NATO, and the fecklessness of European leadership.

The Evolution Of Falciparum Malaria (the nastiest kind)

—CBD

Nature, to the extent it cares at all, likes to kill us.

And of course it doesn't care one way or the other, because "Nature" isn't a sentient being. It is a numberless collection of processes and equilibria and feedback loops and all sorts of fascinating stuff.

50,000-year-old gene reveals how deadliest malaria parasite jumped from gorillas to humans

Malaria causes 435,000 deaths per year on average, with ~61% occurring in children <5 years of age. P. falciparum is the of seven species of parasite that can cause malaria in a family known as the Laverania and causes the deadliest form of the infectious disease; in 2017, this parasite accounted for 99.7% of cases in Africa.

The Laverania parasites originated in African great apes; however, they are now restricted to their own specific host species. Three parasite species are confined to chimpanzees, and three are combined to gorillas. What about the seventh, you ask?

Regardless, this is an interesting progression of the disease...

Sunday Morning Book Thread 11-17-2019

—OregonMuse

Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Mexico City, Mexico

Good morning to all you 'rons, 'ettes, lurkers, and lurkettes, wine moms, frat bros, crétins sans pantalon (who are technically breaking the rules), conspiracy theorists, unindicted co-conspirators and unimpeachable quid-pro-quoers. Welcome once again to the stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread, a weekly compendium of reviews, observations, snark, witty repartee, hilarious bon mots, and a continuing conversation on books, reading, spending way too much money on books, writing books, and publishing books by escaped oafs and oafettes who follow words with their fingers and whose lips move as they read. Unlike other AoSHQ comment threads, the Sunday Morning Book Thread is so hoity-toity, pants are required. Even if it's these pants, for which I thank my lucky stars that they're more of a turquoise color, and not lime green, or burnt orange.

Pic Note:

Yeah, I know this one is not going to be to everyone's taste, and I generally don't like the aesthetics of modern libraries, but I kind of like this one. I had to laugh at its construction history, though:

Then President of Mexico Vicente Fox inaugurated the library on 16 May 2006, and stated that this was one of the most advanced constructions of the 21st century, and that it would be spoken of throughout the world. This inauguration took place a week before the deadline the president had to promote his accomplishments before the 2006 presidential election.

The library had to close in March 2007 due to construction defects...

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
AHAHAHA!!!!! Stop laughing, you racists!

The Superior Auditor of the Federation detected 36 construction irregularities and issued 13 motions of responsibility for public servants of the federal government. Among the irregularities found was the misplacement of marble blocks at a cost of 15 million pesos (roughly 1.4 million dollars).

During Calderón's administration, efforts to restore it continued with a further investment of 32 million pesos (roughly US$3 million).

It was reopened to the public in November 2008 after 22 months.

So, from this account, the library was built broken and then had to be fixed. And you have to wonder how many pesos went to graft, kickbacks, or simply disappeared into the pockets of the well-connected.

It Pays To Increase Your Word Power®

The Origins of the Word “Barbecue” https://t.co/Ip3fzeMyPK #History #bbq pic.twitter.com/3SDiys2h1t

— Eric G. E. Zuelow (@EZuelow) November 12, 2019

On Writing

An 'ette author asked me to share this with you:

A thank-you to the Ace of Spades book thread
by Libby Sternberg

Whenever my books are mentioned on the Ace of Spades weekly book thread, I can count on seeing sales spike. This confirms something I've long believed: conservatives want to support conservative writers. Not just nonfiction authors writing about topics conservatives are interested in, but fiction writers like myself writing mystery, romance, women's fiction, historical fiction and more.

We're not all Ayn Rands, penning allegorical tales with libertarian lessons, but you might sometimes catch a whiff of conservative/libertarian sentiment floating on the breeze or in the background.

Selling books is hard. Even for big, so-called traditional publishers, it's challenging to reach readers willing to shell out bucks and take a chance on a story. The book industry, unlike other parts of the entertainment industry, never seemed to latch on to paid advertising, for example, and seems to rely mostly on earned media and word-of-mouth recommendations to move books.

For small, independent presses and indie writers, selling books is even harder. We don't have the clout of big publishers to get reviews.

So when a site like Ace of Spades devotes even a small bit of their cyber real estate to our offerings, it makes a huge difference.

My only comment is something I believe we would all agree with: the necessity of books by conservative authors must not be allowed to deteriorate into some sort of mirror-image 'woke' thing and purity enforcement where all the right boxes have to be checked in order for a book to be accepted. This is what the left does, and we don't want any sort of rigidly enforced ideological requirements, we just want good, well-written stories that thrill you, chill you, make you think, make you wonder, kick your ass, transport you to new worlds, or some combination thereof. And don't worry about having to be explicitly conservative, because readers want a story, not a lecture. If you're conservative, it will show up in your story somewhere, perhaps even in some ways you can't anticipate. Because that's just who you are, and you can't hide it.

What the progressives are doing to themselves is self-destructive. Because it's hard to write a story if you're forced to lard it up with someone else's ideology in order to get published. The stories will be crap. Progressives ruin everything, including art. My favorite anecdote on this topic is one I heard from a friend of mind who studied for a year in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. While he was there, he liked to visit the Hermitage Museum which has tons of fine art, which is divided into pre-Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary sections. He was amused when he noticed that the pre-Revolutionary wing was usually packed with visitors, but the sections that contained all of the art produced after the Revolution never seemed to have many people in it. In other words, the commies pretty much destroyed Russian art and the only works they could produce was junk that nobody wanted.

I'm all for supporting conservative authors, and I try to do my share of that, but I'm hoping this is a temporary thing based on the current social climate. Ultimately, people should be buying books not because they're conservative, but because they're just great stories.

___________

And speaking of recommendations:

Designated a threat to be shot on sight, an executive must elude assassins and figure out why they're targeting him. This non-stop action #thriller combines, murder, mystery, & conspiracy in a thoroughly satisfying package. https://t.co/WYk7tedjaY #MAGA #WWG1WGA #QArmy #QAnon pic.twitter.com/CEVvgEtUym

— Hans G. Schantz ?? (@AetherCzar) November 14, 2019

You think YOU had a killer workday. . .

Get ready for the FASTEST thriller of the summer!

Each morning in his 45th floor executive office, David Elliot savors the quiet moments until the workday begins.

Until today, when his boss walks in and aims a gun at him.

For the rest of the day, he will be trapped in his midtown office building, and everyone David Elliot meets will try to kill him.

He has 24 hours to find out why. . .

In Vertical Run, you can escape into a world on fast forward, a drama that plays out with electrifying intensity. No one who reads this book will ever see the office the same way again.

Strong words. You can pony up $7.99 for Vertical Run and find out if they're true.

Who Dis:

Last Sunday's 'Who Dis' was Dame Judi Dench

Moron Recommendations

In response to last week's progressive book recommendation, Kindltot commented:

78 OM, I would think the progressive book most likely appreciated by the horde would be The Progressive Era, by Murray Rothbard.

Not a Progressive book, mind you, but a book about Progressivism

Posted by: Kindltot at November 10, 2019 09:36 AM (1glZx)

From the author's forward:

Progressivism brought the triumph of institutionalized racism, the disfranchising of blacks in the South, the cutting off of immigration, the building up of trade unions by the federal government into a tripartite of big government, big business, big union alliance, the glorifying of military virtues and conscription, and a drive for American expansion abroad. In short, the Progressive era ushered the modern American politico-economic system into being.

Amazon has this book on Kindle for 3.95, but the free-market site Mises.org has it in a number of formats, including an audiobook version, available for free here. Published posthumously, this meaty tome weighs in at 600+ pages.

It might be interesting to compare this book with the one by Richard Hofstadter discussed last week. Because it appears that both authors are looking at the same history and arriving at very, very different conclusions.

___________

173 Another excellent book, written by someone who was not only a "progressive" but an out-and-out Marxist when he wrote it is "Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made" by Eugene Genovese. It's based on the recollections of elderly blacks who had been slaves and were interviewed in the 1930's. The book examines the way slaves were able to create meaning and dignity for themselves while living under an unjust system. Although Genovese sympathies are clearly with the slaves, he exhibited compassion for the white slaveonwers as well, giving a much more nuanced viewpoint than is currently the fashion.

That sort of nuance and compassion might be why Genovese eventually moved to the right - ALL the way to the right. He and his wife even converted to Catholicism. Genovese, born in Brooklyn, had a great deal of respect for Southern manners and values, whether they were exhibited by whites or blacks. "Roll Jordan Roll" was published, I believe, in 1970. There would be no room for him in academia today.

Posted by: Donna&&&&V. at November 10, 2019 10:21 AM (d6Ksn)

Thought this one might be OOP -- and I think it is, but e-versions are available. Here is the Amazon blurb:

This landmark history of slavery in the South—a winner of the Bancroft Prize—challenged conventional views of slaves by illuminating the many forms of resistance to dehumanization that developed in slave society.

Rather than emphasizing the cruelty and degradation of slavery, historian Eugene Genovese investigates the ways that slaves forced their owners to acknowledge their humanity through culture, music, and religion. Not merely passive victims, the slaves in this account actively engaged with the paternalism of slaveholding culture in ways that supported their self-respect and aspirations for freedom. Roll, Jordan, Roll covers a vast range of subjects, from slave weddings and funerals, to the language, food, clothing, and labor of slaves, and places particular emphasis on religion as both a major battleground for psychological control and a paradoxical source of spiritual strength. Displaying keen insight into the minds of both slaves and slaveholders, Roll, Jordan, Roll is a testament to the power of the human spirit under conditions of extreme oppression.

The Kindle version of Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made is available for $12.99. Also used hardbacks starting at about $10.

___________

29 I read an excellent book, The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff. In his author's note Graff writes "... this book intends to capture how Americans lived that day how the attacks in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in the skies over Somerset County, Pennsylvania, rippled across lives from coast to coast..." Gleaned from over 5000 oral histories taken from 9/11/2001 to the spring of 2019, Graff wrote an engrossing, informative account of that day. I found this book hard to put down.

Posted by: Zoltan at November 03, 2019 09:08 AM (MikIT)

I can't imagine what it must be like to be, say, one of the airline ticket agents who checked in Mohamed Atta or Marwan al-Shehhi and then finding out later who he was. It's not really your fault, but still... There was some discussion on Friday's rant thread about brooding and not being able to let things ago, and this is something I don't think I'd be able to stop thinking about for a long time.

Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, Graff paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet.

Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York City, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker underneath the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard the small number of unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down. In the skies above Pennsylvania, civilians aboard United Flight 93 make the ultimate sacrifice in their place. Then, as the day moves forward and flights are grounded nationwide, Air Force One circles the country alone, its passengers isolated and afraid.

The Kindle edition of The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff goes for $14.99.

___________

Books By Morons

Moron Daniel Humphreys, author of the post-apocalyptic zombie series Z-Day, has just published a new release in that series, a short story collection entitled Places Beyond the Wild: A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Anthology. Dan tells me it's a bit different than your standard short story collection:

Rather than providing a simple writing prompt and presenting unrelated stories on a common theme, I worked closely with each submitter to align their story with existing canon and even expand it in some ways. I then wrote the first and last novellas to bookend the rest. The storyline takes the reader on a journey through the existing timeline, starting shortly after the opening chapters of A Place Outside the Wild and concluding several years after the end of A Place for War to show where the universe is headed in the future.

There are some great entries, including a mind-bending one by fellow member of the horde Hans Schantz. Z-Day as it stands wouldn't be nearly so successful as it has been without the support and readership of the blog, and I think they'll enjoy the latest addition as much as I did putting it together.

The Amazon blurb gives a few more details:

The vast wilds outside a place called Hope hold their own stories. When the end came, what happened to everyone else?

Massachusetts. Texas. Alabama. Tennessee. Pockets of humanity have persisted through the apocalypse. All have tales of survival and loss.

Mad Dog Mattis’ last stand at the Pentagon. The first Christmas after the end of the world. A family isolated on their homestead as the evolving dead press at the fences. A desperate quest for helicopters to destroy the undead.

Come read through this expansion of Daniel Humphreys’ Dragon Award nominated Z-Day universe. Twelve brand new survival stories written by the best up and coming independent sci-fi and fantasy writers will thrill fans of the series.

Available on Kindle for the reasonable price of $4.99.

___________

So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, bribes, insults, threats, ugly pants pics and moron library submissions may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at the book thread e-mail address: aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm.

What have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as you all know, life is too short to be reading lousy books.

Close it up

EMT 11/17/19

—krakatoa

11 shopping days until Thanksgiving.

Saturday Overnight Open Thread (11/16/19)

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Lady: “Why, he gave me etiquette lessons, so I could learn to say ‘how nice,’ instead of ‘fuck you’.”H/T Legally Sufficient

***

Thomas Edison Invented A Supernatural ‘Telephone’ That Still Stumps Scientists Today"

You and a few friends decide to make the evening a little extra spooky by pulling out a Ouija board and trying to “contact the dead.” Your hands move as the planchette glides across the board, slowly spelling out… your name! You cry out in fright, but your friends burst out laughing: it was all just a trick. You begin laughing too, red-faced for having fallen for it — after all, only kids believe in ghosts… right?

Believe it or not, two of history’s brightest minds were actually dedicated ghost hunters, convinced of the presence of specters within our physical world. To that end, these men built tools to contact such spirits — and the messages that returned from the other side are enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end.

***

Michigan hunters save their prey from death. H/T Clutch

***

Everything you wanted to know about Play-doh.

***

Move over Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Le Louvre, Paris, France andt he Acropolis Museum, Athens. Now there is the Muff Busters.

In a bright indoor space in Camden’s Stables Market, a giant tampon is flanked by giant menstrual cups. Illustrations of female genitalia are dotted around the walls and some underwear is in a glass case.

This is the world’s first vagina museum dedicated to gynaecological anatomy, which opens this weekend in north-west London.

The museum exists thanks to a public fundraising drive, with more than 1,000 people collectively donating almost £50,000. The director, Florence Schechter, says her motivation behind setting up the space was simple. “I discovered there was a penis museum in Iceland but no vagina equivalent anywhere else so I decided to make one,” she says.

***

Do you know someone who is young and thinking about college? Here is your oppurtunity to help them out.

As tuition costs soar, more students and their families are asking themselves if college is still worth it.

Some experts say the value of a bachelor’s degree is fading. Starting salaries for new college graduates have grown less than 1% over the past two years, remaining at around $50,000.

Worse yet: A decade after leaving school, more than 1 in 5 graduates are working in a job that doesn’t even require a degree.

***

https://www.aei.org/economics/maps-of-american-restaurant-quality/

***

Nerves of steel and quick thinking.

***

THE ONT MUSICAL INTERLUDE

A good COB theme song..............

***

You can't stick something in crazy as there is no room. Genius Award Winner.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — It took X-rays, a CT scan and a doctor, but sheriff’s investigators apparently solved the mystery of the groin.

The case began Oct. 15 at the St. Lucie County jail as a 33-year-old Vero Beach woman was in the facility’s booking/intake area, an affidavit states.

Asked whether she had drugs or contraband, the woman said, “No.”

***

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Public Transportation.

Notice: The ONT is a subsidiary of the Ace Media Empire and AceCorp, LLC. All rights reserved. Yeah right.

Close it up

The Occasional Fishing, Hunting, Rugged Outdoors Thread, Prometheus Edition [Bandersnatch]

—CBD

No, not that Prometheus, that’s the obsession of another deranged and deluded occasional Saturday evening host who is deranged and delusional. I’m talking about fire. We’re going to sit around this campfire and talk about campfires. And fishing and hunting and camping and such.
Welcome Piscators and Piscatrixes, Nimrods and Nimrettes, and pyromaniacs of all genders to the current installment of the occasional fishing and hunting and other wholesome outdoorsness thread.

This started a few weeks ago when I was having beers with a guy at a place that had comfy benches and a fire pit out back. The proprietor was just throwing lumber in the pit and dousing it with lighter fluid – which is morally and aesthetically wrong – but it was a fire on a Fall afternoon and fires are conducive to talking. So we talked about fires and their proper construction and maintenance. “How many pieces of newspaper do you use for tinder?”. “Well, assuming we’re using matches you are one-match-only, right?”. “One match? One point of ignition”. So I had met a fellow fanatic and we agreed that something as important as fire was worth arguing about and maybe even a post.

Staring into a fire is an ancient human experience. I can’t help but think that the feelings and conversations evoked by a campfire are the same as they’ve always been. A young fire dances and licks. The mature fire roars in the night. The end of the night fire settles in to coals and glowing and quiet rumination. You stare at a fire and you think. If there are other people around the fire you might talk. The conversation will be different from that at a clean well-lighted place.

Beowulf, I’m certain, was recited around camp fires.

Now, it’s possible for a passion to become self-destructive, especially in the hands of a gifted self-destructor. I was on my way to a camping trip with a girlfriend. This was an extraordinarily attractive woman with a deep hold on my psyche, and she’s also a Girl Scout den mother and camping afficionado. She got to the campsite first and texted me pictures of a gin and tonic, an exposed breast, and the fire she had built, all waiting for me. This is a near perfect set of expectations. And when I got there I was so fussy and controlling about poking the fire that she nearly broke up with me right then. I’m an idiot.

I would like a ruling on this. Is this cheating? Fire is made in three stages: tinder, kindling, and fuel. You can’t light fuel (the log) directly, each stage has a low ignition point and burns up to a higher temperature. There are chemical log products which can be lit with a match, but these are haram. It is known. This fatwood claims to be all natural, it is just pine kindling with a ridiculous amount of sap in it so that it will match light. I think I’ll start keeping some in the truck and in a backpack for emergencies, but it still seems somehow wrong.

I’m heating my lair entirely with wood this season and I’m enjoying the ritual of coming home and making the fire first, before I log on and see what you yobbos are up to.

The other kind of fire at camp is the controlled cooking fire. I used to use propane cylinders and a Coleman stove, but I was introduced to the white gas Whisperlite stoves by the Mad Croatian. I learned much from him, like always put the overhead tarp up first and the importance of the J-stroke, but the Whisperlite might be the best. There was a thread here years ago where some people were saying that there were better options. I don’t remember what they were supposed to be and I hope everyone who said so has been banned.

This is still a fishing thread. That is a brown trout (salmo trutta) and a rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss).

I have asked for camp fire pictures and the only related entry was a camping picture from the estimable Nurse Ratched. That means she’s better than you.

It’s my boys, my Goddaughter, her parents and another friend. We’ve camped together since the adults were in high school. We first took the kids backpacking when they were babes and had to be carried. Deception Pass is one of our favorite car camping spots. On that particular trip, it was springtime and we saw three or four whales swimming by. It was amazing.

This comes from a lurker named JJ (not our JJ with the Godfather quotes).

Long time lurker, just wanted to share a picture of my son(age 14) with his first deer. Looking forward to this season. I have never commented on the site but try to check at least couple times a day. Loved the pic of the young lady with her deer and wanted to share my son's progression.

Now, this has to be the most shameful non-submission in fish thread history. It’s from fluffy.

One of our infamous members (Soothsayer) announced that he had never seen a porcupine in the flesh. I would like the offer some photos and narrative to share with the Horde on the fishing/outdoors thread.

If you are interested, I can write up the occasion when I was nearly trampled by a stampede of love crazed male porkies.

That is not a picture of a love crazed porcupine trampling fluffy. It’s a picture I took of a porcupine because it was so interesting to see one that was not splatterated on a roadside. I’m using it here because despite a couple of messages back and forth, fluffy did not write up this encounter. Shame on you, fluffy!

And with that we move on to the raison d’etre of this here HQ, the comments section. Brickbats, praise, and fish brag pics are welcome at aoshqfish at sign gmail thing.

Close it up

Saturday Afternoon Chess Thread 11-16-2019

—OregonMuse

WIM Melissa Castrillon Gomez (COL)

We will have a fishing thread later. As always, the chess/dress pr0n thread is an open thread, so there is no such thing as an off-topic comment.

Beginner Problem - White To Play (1070)

Goal: White can force mate in 3 moves
Hint: Use a deflection sacrifice on h8

6k1/4q1b1/p2p3R/3PpB2/2p5/6RK/8/8 w - - 0 1

Continue reading

Intermediate Problem - Black To Play (1068)

Goal: Black can force mate in 5
Hint: Smash though the pawns

8/ppp3pk/4Q3/6q1/5rr1/1BP3P1/PP3P2/R3R1K1 b - - 0 1

Advanced Problem - Black To Play (1066)

Black is in bad shape. Yes, he's got the R+R v. R+B advantage, but White's connected advanced pawns are crushing. How does Black avoid losing?

(h/t to the lurking chess moron who sent this one to me last month)

4r3/K1R5/3P1pk1/2P2p1p/5B1P/1r4P1/8/8 b - - 0 1

Dress Pr0n For The 'Ettes:

Beautiful back detail from this @GoldsteinMuseum 1889-92 ruby red dress with braided belt and tassled end. I love the deep pleats which are throughout this gown, with large sleeves which are slightly subtler than the gigot sleeves at the end of the 19th century. pic.twitter.com/ApLmIKxfni

— whatgrandmawore (@whatgrandmawore) October 17, 2019

Greetings From Germany

___________

Solutions Update

Beginner Problem - White To Play

6k1/4q1b1/p2p3R/3PpB2/2p5/6RK/8/8 w - - 0 1

1.Be6+ Kf8
2.Rh8+ Bxh8
3.Rg8#

Intermediate Problem - Black To Play

8/ppp3pk/4Q3/6q1/5rr1/1BP3P1/PP3P2/R3R1K1 b - - 0 1

1...Rxg3+
2.Kf1

Or 2.fxg3 Qxg3+ 3.Kh1 Rh4+ 4.Qh3 Rxh3#

2...Rxf2+
3.Kxf2 Qf4+
4.Ke2 Rg2+
5.Kd3 (5.Kd1 Qd2#)
5...Rd2#

Advanced Problem - Black To Play

4r3/K1R5/3P1pk1/2P2p1p/5B1P/1r4P1/8/8 b - - 0 1

Answer:

Sometimes you have to figure out how to eke out a draw in a seemingly lost position. Fortunately for Black, his King is in a near-stalemate position, which allows him to attack with impunity.

1...Ra8+!
2.Kxa8

Forced, of course.

2...Rb8+
3.Ka7

White can't take the Rook because that would be stalemate. All he can do is move out of the way. But Black can still chase him around.

3...Rb7+
4.Ka6 Rb6+
5.Ka5 Rb5+
6.Ka4 Rb4+
7.Ka3 Rb3+
8.Ka2 Rb2+
9.Ka1 Rb1+

Black can keep White's king pinned to the a-file with endless checks. As long as he does, it's a draw.

Perpetual checks and stalemates should be in your tactical toolbox to be used in tricky endgames when it looks like all is lost.

Hope to see you all next week!

___________

Note: that cryptic line of letters and numbers you see underneath each board diagram is a representation of the position in what is known as "Forsyth-Edwards Notation", or F.E.N. It's actually readable by humans. Most computer applications nowadays can read FEN, so those of you who may want to study the position, you can copy the line of FEN and paste into your chess app and it should automatically recreate the position on its display board. Or, Windows users can just "triple click" on it and the entire line will be highlighted so you can copy and paste it into your chess app.

___________

So that about wraps it up for this week. Chess thread tips, suggestions, bribes, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to my yahoo address: OregonMuse little-a-in-a-circle yahoo dott com.

Close it up

Posted by OregonMuse at 05:23 PM Comments