Tag: California

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And the insane beat goes on…

‘Right’ is ‘Wrong’, ‘Wrong’ is ‘Right’. ‘Wrongthink’ is punishable, ‘Rightthink’ is rewarded.

I swear it’s Owellian!

Governor “Gruesome” Newsom kept his job this week. Not that there was much doubt he would. In a state as loaded with Democrats as California it’s surprising that there was even a recall election at all.

The State Democrats though, have responded to this existential “Threat” to their power by taking steps to limit the possibility of recall elections in the future. In my cynical brain, that means that the law will probably read something like; “No recall election shall be permitted against an elected official of the Democratic Party. However any elected Republican Official may be recalled at any time. The recall process shall only require 1/4 of the California Legislature’s approval, no mass election shall be necessary.”

Their justification will be something along the lines of being fiscally responsible; “By doing away with the mass public election cycle the state will be able to save millions of tax payers dollars.”

General Mark Milley Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pretty much committed treason in the last days of Former President Trumps administration. This one is head snapping for someone like myself.

Milley claims that he was concerned about Trump launching nuclear weapons against the Chinese. I ask, in what universe is that even a concern? It’s not like the President of the United States can just arbitrarily decide to launch nukes. The only scenario I know of where The President can initiate a launch on his own authority, is If missile are already flying toward the US.

Otherwise, Congress has the authority. If there is not a state of war between the US and another country nukes are not an option. The President can scream and yell all he or she wants, but the launch isn’t supposed to happen. Congress wouldn’t agree, and the Military would in theory be well within their rights to refuse to carry out such an illegal order.

What Milley did, was well beyond refusing an illegal order. No such order had been given. Milley went behind not only the sitting President’s back. Apparently he also acted without the Secretary of Defense’s knowledge. Here we have a General contacting a foreign, technically ‘hostile’ government while at the same time attempting to route any and all orders and communications through his office alone.

That folks is not only treasonous, it’s the stuff of a banana republic coup d’état. That’s how you end up with military dictators for life. How many times have we seen something like this play out in other countries over the past 60 years?

You can bet your ass if Milley had done the same thing at the end of say, Joe Biden’s administration. Congress would be screaming for his head on a pike. Let’s face it, Joe Biden in his current state is far more likely to issue such an illegal order.

Can you say Afghanistan???

Unsurprisingly, Nancy Pelosi is in the shadows. The Pentagon has confirmed that she and Milley were colluding prior to Milley contacting his counterpart in the Chinese Government.

Of greater concern to me, is that none of the officers under General Milley stood up refusing to accept or execute what was very probably an illegal order from General Milley. They had that option. They too swore an oath to protect and defend The Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.

The fact that none of the other Admirals and Generals in that room with Milley had the balls to level charges of sedition and treason is flat out terrifying. In elder times, Milley would have been clapped in irons and brought before a military tribunal within days.

The terrifying part for me is their lack of action, or concern, suggests that they can be bought. I’m sure that intelligence officers in every hostile nation are right now trying to figure out how to buy a senior member of the Joint Chiefs.

I look at it this way. They didn’t say anything because either they were worried about their careers, pensions and retirement, or they are amenable to the overthrow of the United States.

Either way, it’s like the old joke about the guy propositioning a woman in a bar.

Guy: “Would you sleep with me for a $100?”
Woman: “Absolutely not!”
Guy: “Would you sleep with me for a million dollars?”
Woman: “Maybe, do you have a million dollars? I don’t want you to think I’m a whore.”
Guy: “We’ve already established you’re a whore, now we’re just haggling over price.”

I wouldn’t be surprised to find that there have been huge offers of cash extended from foreign governments, to various upper level staff in The Pentagon.

Milley’s continued presence in his position besmirches the honor of our military, and demonstrates that we are weak in that, we aren’t even up to the task of enforcing our own laws.

Milley shouldn’t resign. Milley should be arrested, and brought before a Military Tribunal, then tried under the UCMJ. I think the penalty for treason is still death. If he’s found guilty, so be it.

(Just a reminder, I’m not now and haven’t been in the military. Therefore, I might be a little unclear on the details of how this works. Military folks reading this, please correct me via comments.)

Speaking of the 25th amendment…

There are still people banging on about Donald Trump. Saying that he should have been removed from office via the 25th amendment.

Really? You’re still harping on that? Newsflash… Donald Trump isn’t The President anymore!

In the immortal words of Hillary Rodham Clinton, “What does it matter at this point anyway?”

You folks out there still bitching about the 25th, might want to shut up. The 25th amendment applies equally to any sitting President. Just sayin…

In closing here is something that I was personally gratified to see.

The Riverside County Sheriff is refusing to implement the vaccine mandate.

The Sheriff cites The Constitution and his oath of office in his decision. I swear I’d like to shake this man’s hand and buy him a beer.

Thank God there are still some men in this country who have a set of balls.

So that’s the highlights of the news. Well, not all the highlights, these are the things that caught most of my attention this week.

I’m still waiting to see how badly insulted the Australians are by Biden forgetting who he was talking to during the announcement of AUKUS defense pact.

Biden called the Australian Prime Minister, “That fella down under…”

Not an auspicious beginning to a new defense pact.

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Ever feel like you’re waiting…

…for the other shoe to drop?

I’ve been feeling like that for months.

It feels like being a kid waiting for your Father to get home to beat your ass for doing something you shouldn’t have done.

I suppose a more polite way of saying that would be a reference to the sword of Damocles. (If you don’t get that one look it up.) Perhaps a reference to Poe’s Pit & Pendulum would work better?

To be sure, this summer has been a pain in my ass personally. But it’s also been a mess nationally and internationally.

Hurricanes, Floods, Continuing and mutating pandemic, The show trials over the Jan 6th (mostly peaceful protests, hey they didn’t burn the capital down. Just sayin.), Afghanistan (Now we know why Biden has kids, he didn’t know how to withdraw… I couldn’t resist,) Poor economy, Rising Prices, etc. etc. etc.

Tuesday morning there was a report in Breitbart where an epidemiologist reviewed grants associated with St Fauci of the mask, and concluded that in fact some 600K did fund “Gain of function” research in Wuhan. The material was released under the FOIA.

Technically, this information is a smoking gun. Fauci broke the law. Federally, gain of function research is forbidden.

It’s possible, Fauci may have skirted the law, by approving grant money. Then Fauci lied to Congress about it, denying that any funding went to Wuhan for such research. He’d have been better off simply admitting that without his knowledge, the funds were misused and that the grant had been terminated.

Fauci has always been about gain of function research throughout his career.

On the one hand I can kinda see it from the standpoint of learning what may happen, and then doing the research to have countermeasures in place. On the other hand, I think I agree more with folks who say that gain of function is simply too dangerous. If COVID-19 is any indicator, I’d say that we have proof of the latter point.

I hate like hell that I believe Fauci will skate on all of this. I no longer have faith that our Justice system is remotely impartial. It’s been made very clear if you’re a darling of the administration (or a family member) there are no consequences. If, on the other hand you’ve demonstrated any opposition to the administration you’re going to be hunted down like a rabid dog.

Yet, with all this, it still feels like I’m in the corner of my bedroom waiting for Dad to come home. “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you son…” I knew that was bullshit at 8 years old, it’s no less bullshit now.

In fact my Dad and I had a good healthy laugh over that particular comment as adults sipping scotch. I told him I called bullshit, and he just laughed.

“Yep Son, it was bullshit, but your ass was such a small moving target I’d end up with strap marks on my legs too. You’ve got to nonetheless, concede that you’re the man I’m proud of today in part because of me busting your butt.“

He was right. I admitted it to him right then and there. We poured another drink and talked about all kinds of things as Men, not father and son.

God, how I’d enjoy talking with him now! If only to hear his take on why I’m feeling like I’m waiting for doom.

Thinking about that conversation though, still puts a smile on my face. The hangover the next day was even worth it.

I just wish I could get past this feeling…

As we come up on the 20th anniversary of September 11, I find myself wondering if that’s the thing. Perhaps it’s just that it’s been 20 years.

I’m sure Biden will attempt to make some speech. Sadly, no matter how well written that speech will be, if he goes off the rails, or if some jackasses shoot up a crowd or set off a bomb to mark the date, I wonder if that could simply be the flashpoint of what’s bugging me.

There are just so many division points between so many groups in America today. Those points are in my mind metaphorical powder kegs. Half the country seems to be violently opposed to the other half of the country for one reason or another. Is what I’m feeling a subconscious recognition of how angry, stressed, and ready to blow, we as a people are?

Or is this feeling simply a sign of my frustration at the job search and my worry over paying my bills?

I’ll admit I think we should flatten Afghanistan with carpet bombing.

I’d love to see this administration and much of Congress on trial for corruption and wrongdoing. But I’m not ready to join a militia, white supremacist group, or do anything that is outside of the laws that we’re all supposed to abide by. I keep hearing my Mother, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.“

I keep hearing in the back of my mind, “Everybody Knows” by Leonard Cohen. Although I like the rendition by Sigrid better than the original.

"Everybody Knows"

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded 
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed 
Everybody knows that the war is over 
Everybody knows the good guys lost 
Everybody knows the fight was fixed 
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich 
That's how it goes 
Everybody knows 
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking 
Everybody knows that the captain lied 
Everybody got this broken feeling 
Like their father or their dog just died 

Everybody talking to their pockets 
Everybody wants a box of chocolates 
And a long stem rose 
Everybody knows 

Everybody knows that you love me baby 
Everybody knows that you really do 
Everybody knows that you've been faithful 
Ah give or take a night or two 
Everybody knows you've been discreet 
But there were so many people you just had to meet 
Without your clothes 
And everybody knows 

Everybody knows, everybody knows 
That's how it goes 
Everybody knows 

Everybody knows, everybody knows 
That's how it goes 
Everybody knows 

And everybody knows that it's now or never 
Everybody knows that it's me or you 
And everybody knows that you live forever 
Ah when you've done a line or two 
Everybody knows the deal is rotten 
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton 
For your ribbons and bows 
And everybody knows 

And everybody knows that the Plague is coming 
Everybody knows that it's moving fast 
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman 
Are just a shining artifact of the past 
Everybody knows the scene is dead 
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed 
That will disclose 
What everybody knows 

And everybody knows that you're in trouble 
Everybody knows what you've been through 
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary 
To the beach of Malibu 
Everybody knows it's coming apart 
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart 
Before it blows 
And everybody knows 

Everybody knows, everybody knows 
That's how it goes 
Everybody knows 

Oh everybody knows, everybody knows 
That's how it goes 
Everybody knows 

Everybody knows

Written By
Sharon Robinson & Leonard Cohen

The weird thing is that I haven’t heard that song in a while. Let’s face it, it’s dark and not something that anyone who’s the least bit depressed should listen to. It is however, a good song.

I guess I’ll go back to banging my head against the employment wall and just wait & see what happens next.

When the wheels come off this bus, it will be spectacular.

I am curious to see what happens in the Newsom recall. I have no doubt that he’ll retain office. I’m absolutely sure that we’ll never know if he retains office legally or by nefarious means.

I say that, because these days who do you trust?

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Wait… What? Let me get this straight…

So the cause of the latest reboot of my poor addled brain, was this little gem.

Palm Springs to require proof of COVID vaccination to eat indoors at restaurants, bars

The Article is linked above

What you’re telling me, is that I can still go into a gay bar in Palm Springs, I can still get my cock sucked, and I can do that while I’m having a drink. (Technically that’s not supposed to happen, but in a crowded bar on a Saturday Night who’s gonna notice that hot young man servicing me as I’m sitting on a bar stool? Yeah… I’ve experienced that.)

Or I can go to a gay bar, pick up someone, go back to their hotel room, and have penetrative unprotected sex…

Apparently I, and the other adults, in a bar are adult enough to make adult choices regarding these health matters…

But to get into that bar I have to show that I’ve been vaccinated, because we’re not adult enough to make an informed choice about COVID????

Hold the damn phone!

There are so many things wrong here I can’t begin to count ’em.

STD’s are no problem according to the city council. HIV is no concern of theirs. Crystal Meth, or whatever the drug de jour is not a problem…

But COVID, with a 98-99% survival rate (dependent on age) and OMG you have to show you’re vaccinated.

To be honest, I’m not surprised. Gay bars in New York City have been doing this bullshit for a while. I guess the more recent mandates in New York have extended to all bars and restaurants.

Palm Springs, You’re dead to me. Like L.A., NY, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland.

I will not show you my vaccination card. I will not allow that invasion of my privacy it’s no more your business than if I’ve had a Hepatitis vaccination, or a flu shot.

You’re not important enough in my life to violate my principals about privacy. I don’t need to spend $10 a drink. I can make my own for a buck. I don’t need to spend $25 for a hamburger. I can make my own. I can remain naked in my own home with a few select friends and have a damn fine time.

I don’t need to spend my gas, time, money, or any effort at all, in your town.

When enough people feel like me, and I pray to God they wake the hell up soon, your local economy will tank and you’ll be begging people to come to visit Just like the mayor of NYC was recently begging business to come back.

Palm Springs you’ve overplayed your hand. How many tourists do you think are going to come to your oasis in the desert? Especially when they have to mask up, surrender their privacy, and comply with your edicts.

Golf courses are just as fine in Florida. Key West is booming for the gay traveler, Florida has pools, hotels, interesting bars, and warm inviting beaches. Miami has a brilliant night life with a distinctly Cuban flair and Texas has some mighty fine golf courses and miles of beaches too.

Compared to them… What have you got? Desert heat, an older leathery population, obscenely high hotel taxes, hotel rates, and what else? Hwy 111 that is bumper to bumper most hours of the day & night.

For me, you were convenient, an adult playground where I could escape for a day or two. Clearly, that time has passed.

I will pass, and I think most people will soon say, “Pass” too.

Good Night and Good Luck.

On second thought… I’l bet there’s going to be some off the hook private parties happening out there. Hmm, Buy gas here and make sure that I don’t have to spend any money there…

Maybe I’ll dig out the black book and see what’s shakin. At least it’s likely, I’ll be hanging with other folks that are thinking WTF? Just like me.

Could be fun!

At least until the housing market crashes because folks decide to head to other places. Then Palm Springs will look like Irvine, CA after the Dot Com bust. Tumbleweeds & sand blowing across the main drag.

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It’s been 10 days or so since Parler was taken down…

I’m sad to see it go, but I was able to go cold turkey from social media.

I know the good folks at Parler are working hard to get the site back up, but I’m questioning if I’ll return to any social media.

I maintain Linkedin only for job stuff and don’t interact on the site too much. I’ve never been comfortable with HR departments searching for social history, and Linkedin just makes it easy for them to judge you based on an arbitrary set of nebulous criteria.

I’ve been enjoying my HAM radio much more than social media anyway. There was a gentleman the other day who described HAM as the original social media and I think he’s right. The focus is much more local (although with radio sometimes you can get astounding distances, depending on conditions in the upper atmosphere.)

I’ve been catching up on local events in my immediate area. Figure about 100 miles or so. There are ways to get much farther reliably due to a network of specialized radio systems placed on mountains throughout the country or countries across the planet.

These systems are not funded by government, they’re generally free to use, and are funded by the good will of HAM operators and HAM clubs. Sure, using them is a little more difficult than clicking “Tweet” on your phone, but it does provide a bit of a barrier to the riff raff.

Since Parler was taken down, I switched on my radio and discovered there’s a mountain lion wandering through the town I live in.

Social media on a global scale wouldn’t have necessarily warned me about that. The lion has been seen in multiple locations and appears to be looking for food. The general warning is to make sure that you keep an eye on dogs, cats, and children, even in a fenced yard.

That’s good to know! Especially since Jesse and I sometimes take early morning walks and we’re generally on trails in the forest.

Were I in most any state but California, it would be appropriate for me to be armed while out on a walk in rough areas. Most of those other states would look at being armed as a prudent precaution. But California is so damn twitchy about guns, they’ve made it so that you can’t defend yourself against apex predators, (Human or Animal).

In my local area, there are bears, bobcats, coyotes, rattlesnakes, and as stated, mountain lions. Any one of which could attack if it perceived you and your dog as a threat. This is particularly so if you were to come around a boulder or through a stand of trees and surprise them.

California would prefer to clean up the bloody mess and airlift your body out, rather than allow you to have a fighting chance. Many Californias would shake their heads and tut, tut, your foolishness in being out of the oh so safe, city.

Many of them would say you got what you deserved for being in the wilderness in the first place. That’s one of the weirdest things about living here. Lots of Californias ask, “why would someone have been out in the forest?” I ask, “Wasn’t the person armed and prepared?”

Californians live under the constant threat of sudden destruction from an Earthquake, or a fire, but they are astounded that anyone would want to live where hurricanes or tornados may occur. I actually prefer hurricanes or tornados because you can see them coming and get the hell out of the way. Earthquakes provide no such warning. Fires, you can avoid if you know where they are.

I guess it’s just preference.

Oddly, social media rarely provides any real time useful data about disasters. It’s almost always after the fact. I’ve always assumed that was because of internet outages.

That is why I took the time to get the HAM license, and with recent events, I’m considering taking my license to the next level. This would open my ability to communicate on a wider range of frequencies legally.

Note I said legally. I could talk on those frequencies now, but I’m a law abiding citizen and believe in obeying rules which have a logical purpose and provide a clear benefit. Radio rules typically fall into that category.

There are a lot of other rules that I disagree with because they don’t seem to have a basis in common sense, logic, or science, and simultaneously don’t provide a clear benefit.

Parler was uncensored. Twitter and Facebook are very censored and not in a consistent way. Parler was/is about protecting the First Amendment. Twitter and Facebook say they are proponents of the First Amendment but demonstrably are not.

Parler was taken away from all of us by people that don’t believe in free speech and had the will and capacity to effectively silence a large percentage of Americans. If some people choosing to use Parler were offended by what they read or saw, they had the option to never go back to the Parler site.

But these people, who choose to be perpetually offended couldn’t abide differing opinions. They demand conformity of thought. I suspect that in time they’ll demand conformity of race too, since everything in their world revolves around racial identity politics.

On the radio there is no race. Only the content of your words. If you’re not good at putting your thoughts into words there’s no-one that will stop you from saying something but you might find yourself talking to dead air. Other people listening may simply find another channel, you know, old school… Don’t like what you’re hearing turn it off…

More people need to learn that.

Our house has been remarkably quiet over the past 3 weeks. We both tired of the news, we got tired of Hollywood celebrities shooting their mouths off in hateful tirades about Trump and frankly it’s made it so that watching their movies aren’t that enjoyable. Even music is only turned on when we want to listen to something particular. It’s tougher to relax or suspend disbelief so you can just enjoy the music or movie.

We’re hoping that in time as we distance from this season of chaos we’ll be able to enjoy these things once again.

In the mean time, from the radio chatter I’m hearing, we’re not alone. It appears that streaming movies and music over the fiber network here has dropped off significantly in our local area. But the Library is seeing a slight uptick in usage.

Something else I’d never have known from just social media. But it was on my HAM Radio this morning.

I’ve been listening to a bunch of local HAMS who get together every morning over their first or second cup of coffee.

They just get on the radio, and chat about local stuff. The weather, someone older who needs a little help with a project, the community center asking for books to lend, issues with snowplayers, and when the next community meeting is. The day after a community meeting, someone will summarize what was covered for those that couldn’t attend. It’s nice and somehow comforting.

Perhaps it’s time for us all to act more locally, and stop paying attention to the collective idiots who have found voice in social media. Maybe we should be more concerned about the people in our local area who are trying to do the right thing, and could use actual hands to do work that makes our community better?

It costs you nothing to comment on troubles in another state. But when you comment about something locally, there’s a certain expectation that you’re willing to put your money, or sweat equity, where your mouth is.

I suppose that too is old school…

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The heat broke…

It’s a very nice 72° F here. I’ve been outside on the deck all day. I’ve been able to power my computer via my solar panel and battery. I’ve recharged several devices and am now recharging the battery pack from the solar panel.

In the course of all of this I’ve been all over the deck keeping the panel in the sun. I’ve sent out job applications (for whatever that’s worth), I’ve still got a few to finish the cover letters on but it’s been a lovely productive day, at least in a digital sense.

Light breezes and quiet working environment make days like this especially nice here in the mountains. Days like this are meant for writing.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.