Wednesday Overnight Open Thread (12/12/18 )

Quote I

When you silence someone you don’t agree with or find offensive, not only do you implement the tactic used by the people you disdain; you also do yourself the disservice of missing out on a potentially meaningful conversation. You cannot affect change if you are not challenged. Nimesh Patel

Quote II

Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.

Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.

We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.

Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent.

Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.

For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.

Washington flourished – but the people did not share in its wealth.

Politicians prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed.

The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.

Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes – starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.

It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.

This is your day. This is your celebration.

And this, the United States of America, is your country.

What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.

January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.

The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

Everyone is listening to you now.

You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before.

At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.

Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.

These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

We are one nation – and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.

The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.

For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry;

Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military;

We’ve defended other nation’s borders while refusing to defend our own;

And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.

We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon.

One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind.

The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.

But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future.

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.

From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.

From this moment on, it’s going to be America First.

Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.

We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down.

America will start winning again, winning like never before.

We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.

We will get our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.

We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.

We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow.

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.

When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.

The Bible tells us, “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.

When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.

There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected.

We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.

In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.

We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action – constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.

The time for empty talk is over.

Now arrives the hour of action.

Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.

We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.

A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.

It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator.

So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:

You will never be ignored again.

Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Together, We Will Make America Strong Again.

We Will Make America Wealthy Again.

We Will Make America Proud Again.

We Will Make America Safe Again.

And, Yes, Together, We Will Make America Great Again. Thank you, God Bless You, And God Bless America President Donald J. Trump

Quote III

“It remains our generation’s moral imperative to take responsibility and help our children manage the many issues they are facing today, including encouraging positive social, emotional, and physical habits,” Melania Trump

Earlier this week The ONT covered YouTube's suspension of Gavin McInnes YouTube account. His suspension has been lifted and he is back.

How much is enough? The State of California considers taxing text messages.

California may soon charge its residents a fee for text messaging, according to a report released by state regulators Tuesday.

The report from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) says the tax on text messaging would likely be a flat fee added to a monthly bill instead of a per text tax and the money would be used to fund programs that make phone service available for low-income residents welfare recipients.

Emphasis ONT added

The New Christmas Tradition.

Yesterday, the usual "known wolf" - that's to say, known to the highest levels of the French security apparatus - killed three and wounded a dozen more in this year's first attack on a Christmas market - in Strasbourg. The jihadist yelled ...oh, go on, take a wild guess: Joyeux Noël? Bonnes Fêtes? No, he stuck to the traditional greeting.

Just over two years ago, in the summer of 2016, I met a delightful German lady who lives just across the border from Strasbourg and whose husband, in fact, was born and raised there. Along with her child, my friend, as I put it, "had found herself on the receiving end of some vibrant multicultural outreach from one of Mutti Merkel's boy charmers":

As a result, she no longer goes out after dark. She had also decided - with reluctance, because she enjoyed it - to cancel her participation in a local Christmas market, where she'd sung carols every year - in broad daylight.

'Why would you do that?' I asked.

'Because it's Christmas,' she said, 'and I'm worried Christmas will be a target

Eat All The Nutella All The Time At The New Nutella Café in NYC

These statements are very concerning? No shit.

The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign’s (UIUC) Gender & Women's Studies department shared this demand from a nine-point platform created by the National Trans Youth Council’s nine-point platform, prefacing the Facebook post with “something to believe in.”

"We call for the abolition of the police, ICE, borders, and the judicial system" Tweet This

“We call for the abolition of the police, ICE, borders, and the judicial system,” the NTYC platform reads.

Madeleine Hubbard, president of Turning Point USA at UIUC, called this demand “very concerning.

All good things must come to an end. RIP Faith Lutheran Church Annual Lutefisk Dinner.

For 70 years, Faith Lutheran Church in Forest Lake, Minnesota, served an annual lutefisk dinner on the second Tuesday in December. The community was settled by Scandinavian immigrants, and the church served a traditional dinner of lutefisk, lefse, boiled potatoes, meatballs, and other traditional dishes. The church has decided to discontinue the feast this year, and to get the community's attention, pastor John Klawiter wrote an obituary for the dinner, published in the Forest Lake Times. I guess it's true that more people read the obituaries than any other section of the newspaper. People outside of Forest Lake might think that the cause of death would be lack of participation due to a waning taste for lutefisk (a gelatinous dish made by reconstituting dried whitefish with lye), but that wasn't the case. Five hundred people came to eat last year. Go figure.

Ultimately, it was the aging of the volunteers that helped contribute to the decision to finally pull the plug on the 70-year tradition.

Do you have a loved one who enjoys time in the kitchen? Is that loved one a disaster there? Gift ideas for the bad cooks.

Sometimes, even when following a recipe fastidiously and being extra careful around sharp knives, cooking just doesn’t go as planned. For some people, this happens once in a blue moon, but for others, it’s more of a routine event. But that shouldn’t stop them from trying. If you’ve got someone in your life who loves to cook despite their failed efforts, these gifts might help them find the top chef within.

Just a hint, Bluebell, Weasel and CBD wish lists are not in this article.

Michael Bloomberg, rich, white, liberal and spouting off.

Bloomberg claimed that 95 percent of murders fall into a specific category: male, minority and between the ages of 15 and 25. Cities need to get guns out of this group’s hands and keep them alive, he said.

“These kids think they’re going to get killed anyway because all their friends are getting killed,” Bloomberg said. “They just don’t have any long-term focus or anything. It’s a joke to have a gun. It’s a joke to pull a trigger.”

Except Mayor Mike is wrong. In fact, he’s not even close. Since 2000, minorities have committed about 55% of the murders in this country while whites were responsible for about 45%.

Vermont businessman tells his local government they are #1 in his book.

Several weeks ago, Ted Pilkey of Westford, Vermont installed this massive wooden middle finger sculpture on his lawn atop a 16-foot-pole. From Boston.com:

Has Euthanasia Gone So Far That Even The Belgians Are Shocked?

This was nakedly not “medical” but kill-happy doctors and a suicidal patient gaming the system:

“Sophie Nys [the euthanized Tine Nys] says that [the pro-euthanasia] Thienpont diagnosed Tine with Asperger’s and approved her euthanasia request after two or three sessions with Thienpont. Because Asperger’s is ‘incurable and chronic,’ it meets one of the legal requirements for euthanasia. Sophie said her sister was so intent on being euthanized she might have manipulated the test.”

It turns out that this doctor is responsible for killing off one in three patients euthanized for mental health related reasons in all of Belgium.

…and people still wonder how easy it was for the Germans to commit the Holocaust

Charlemont, MA is making news. Residents of Charlemont reject Comcast for internet provider and will do it themselves.

A small Massachusetts town has rejected an offer from Comcast and instead plans to build a municipal fiber broadband network.

Comcast offered to bring cable Internet to up to 96 percent of households in Charlemont in exchange for the town paying $462,123 plus interest toward infrastructure costs over 15 years. But Charlemont residents rejected the Comcast offer in a vote at a special town meeting Thursday.

"The Comcast proposal would have saved the town about $1 million, but it would not be a town-owned broadband network," the Greenfield Recorder reported Friday. "The defeated measure means that Charlemont will likely go forward with a $1.4 million municipal town network, as was approved by annual town meeting voters in 2015."

About 160 residents voted, with 56 percent rejecting the Comcast offer, according to news reports.

Math.

Will the numbers be this positive in 5 or 10 years?

You've been warned................

Sit on my face by Monty Python is funny.

Forcibly sitting on one's face is a Genius Award Winner-1st Runner Up.

Via the New York Post, “Woman clubs boyfriend, sits on his face for refusing oral sex”:

A “very violent” mohawked Missouri woman clobbered her live-in lover as she demanded he perform oral sex on her, the victim and authorities said.

Amy Nicole Parrino, 43, was busted on charges of domestic assault and sexual abuse for the Sunday night incident that occurred at Parrino and the man’s Boone County home, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun.

During the 9:45 p.m. attack, Parrino allegedly punched the man up to 25 times and struck him with a belt, cellphone and brass plate, according to the court filing.

“I find the facts in the probable cause affidavit troubling,”, said the judge about tonight's Genius Award Winner

A mama Chihuahua and her four puppies are recovering at a Broward County animal shelter after a woman zipped them into a backpack, threw the pack onto bar tables and benches and wildly swung it around, authorities said.

Teresa Gardner, 27, was arrested at 3:12 a.m. Sunday after she showed up at Briny Irish Pub in Pompano Beach, where she “was seen roughly throwing the bag, containing the animals, onto the bar tables and benches,” an arrest report said.

For every action there is a reaction. The reaction took awhile but it is Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

For the last 40 years, Ron Elliott has been using a special pick-up truck to transport the bodies of dead Vietnam veterans to their final resting places free of charge – so when his faithful automobile finally started to break down, the community stepped up to help.

Elliott, who is a Vietnam veteran himself, had been driving the same 2000 Ford F150 for about two decades. It was the second vehicle that he had used for his labor of love, and it had wracked up roughly 150,000 miles before it started to die.

The side of the truck was emblazoned with the names of Vietnam veterans from Delaware who lost their lives in combat

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by The Daily Commute.

Notice: Posted with permission by the Ace Media Empire and AceCorp, LLC. Loose change, drink tokens and ONT tips to petmorons at gmail dot com.

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