Today is the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
For me, today is a day of silence. Those of us who were alive and old enough to remember may choose to mark this day in our own ways.
Have a peaceful weekend.
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?
Yawn…
Hope everyone had a good Labor Day.
It was quiet here, thankfully. We didn’t even have the usual garage sales. That was a bit strange, but it meant that the neighborhood was quiet.
Even the crazy folks on the next block weren’t screaming obscenities or arguing with the voices in their heads.
I was forced to be quiet because I’m nursing a bum knee. It’s getting better but only incrementally. On the plus side, if I stay off it I’m not in pain. That means I can, in a mostly guilt free way sit on my butt. Even the dog has figured out that something is very wrong with dad.
Yesterday, I got antsy and used my chain saw to help a neighbor, (who’s just recovered from knee surgery,) thin out some plants that grow between our properties. I heard him trying to get his chain saw running several times, to no effect. He was grumbling but not cussing about it. I figured that the neighborly thing to do was help out.
It was nice, he totally got that I’d be moving slow and was content to point out what he wanted to cut down, then let me get situated and do the cutting. He handled removing the material.
It worked out well. I really needed to be outside being productive, if only for a short while. I only paid a small price for being up and active. Spending the rest of the late afternoon with my knee up.
I know, we’re not supposed to “work” on Labor Day but ehh I needed to do something.
We’re already seeing signs of Fall. Some of the trees are just starting to change. On the one hand that’s nice because it means that it will start cooling off and usually brings the fire season to a close. On the other hand, it means time’s getting short for me to get summer projects done that have been delayed due to various injuries and disasters here at home.
I’ve got maybe another month and a half to get some caulking & painting done before the paint won’t setup correctly due to temperature swings. Much as I hate to do it, I may have to force the knee into service a little before it’s ready.
Have a good short week.
Well, here we are in August
The Summer is coming to a close, the children are supposed to be going back to school. (That rite of passage may again be disrupted due to COVID.)
I’ve got a couple of projects to get done before the Winter, those projects are on hold because of the living room and flooring mess.
There’s no reason to paint the stairs if there’re going to be workmen dragging all manner of tools and things up the stairs.
I can lay in supplies for the projects in the mean time. So at least that will be, in some small way, productive.
The flooring is the last piece of the puzzle regarding the living room, then we’ll have to have the fire suppression system inspected and re-pressurized. The jury is still out on the question of the furniture being replaced. At this point it’s likely that the couch and chair will be, but the rest of the wood furniture may have survived.
As we head back into another heat wave, I’m glad that the ceiling is at least back so that the air conditioning won’t be running quite as hard. My “Martian” special worked but was inefficient as far as insulation went. We’re now fully two months into having this disruption in our lives. Although, there are others who’ve been waiting 4 to 6 months.
Between supply shortages and construction repair crews busy schedules there are a lot of people waiting in line for remodels and repairs.
At the moment, I have a pile of trashed building materials on my front lawn and can’t really even do much in the way of yard work. There’s supposed to be a crew member coming up to pick up the trash and the ladders, I expect he’ll be by when the work is complete. It makes more sense to make only one trip instead of several so I’m not really all that worried about it.
This Summer has been a season of things breaking. My faithful 12 year old monitor gave up the ghost a week ago. While I didn’t want to spend money I’m glad I bought a new monitor. Amazon on the other hand said this monitor had more ports than it actually does. Their description was mostly correct except for this one small detail. Nonetheless, the thunderbolt port was there as indicated, and provided me with a method to connect to the computer.
Amazon’s description said there was a Thunderbolt, DV, and HDMI, port. There was only Thunderbolt and HDMI. I think the copy writer on the Amazon site may have grabbed the wrong specifications. Frankly, it’s probably too much of a pain in the ass to return the monitor and call them on their mistake. Going to the Samsung site told me I had the correct model number and that this unit did not contain the DV port. So word to the wise, cross check Amazon’s description and specifications against the actual manufacturer’s before you click that convenient “BUY” button.
In this case it’s not a big deal, but If I’d specifically needed the DV port it would have been.
The panel itself is very nice and crisp. It’s even convenient to watch movies or TV on.
The new router is working like a champ although there have been some situations where firmware updates on it have caused glitches throughout the WiFi devices connected to it. Nothing particularly difficult to resolve, but as is always the case with computer equipment these glitches show up at the most inconvenient times. I’m enjoying the speeds the router provides. I don’t much notice the difference between WiFi and hardline connections. With the previous router, there was a noticeable difference and if I had to do anything intense, like downloading an OS or watching movies I always connected to the hardline. Now I’ve actually moved devices over to WiFi and been able to decommission some of the network switches.
When I reassemble the living room, I’ll be considering connecting everything WiFi and getting rid of cables that aren’t strictly necessary.
Lately, I’ve noticed that I’m not actually watching what little of the news I used to catch. I’ve even stopped reading the news online. It’s all gotten too crazy for me.
Masks, not masks. Vaccine, not vaccine. Mandated Vaccinations No Mandates. Members of Congress saying that they want to create a two class America over vaccination status.
It’s one thing if the media says stuff like that, you pretty much ignored it because they’re the media, BUT when members of Congress start saying stuff like this, it’s head snapping!
When our government starts asking for vaccination proof, we will be uncomfortably close to NAZI or Communist forms of government. Are we at the point that our Republic is already dead? Are we just scrabbling around in the carcass of what was once a great country? Where does that leave what used to be “Average Americans”?
It’s stuff like those questions that makes reading or watching the News an increasingly unpleasant experience. I’m down to looking at the insanity about once a week unless something really catches my attention. At least I’m not completely uninformed but I can’t be any more informed than once a week.
From the WTF file?
BLM has moved from being an organization that may have had legitimacy at one point, into the realm of jackass clowns looking for attention.
Perhaps it’s more about the Benjamins at this point, maybe it aways was. I’m not sure.
Who knows how much BLM donation money Patrisse Cullors actually funneled into her own pocket.
Now BLMLA has filed another lawsuit in California. This time, against Santa Monica. The first one was against the city of LA. Basically BLM contends that the police weren’t doing their job.
You’ve got to be kidding me!
This is the legal equivalent of beating someone to a pulp yanking their pants down and ass raping them, then kicking their unconscious body before you lift their wallet and run away.
In other words, normal behavior for BLM. (If you’re thinking, “He really doesn’t like BLM,” BINGO! You win the cupie doll!)
At this point I think all of BLM should be in a nasty prison, somewhere in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Their ANTIFA buddies should be staked out in the sun outside the prison.
The eternal whining of self hating lilly white BLM followers about climate change & the lack of air-conditioning in a Sahara prison would be an appropriate warm up to eternity in hell for the leaders of the organization including Patrisse Cullors.
When will people wake up to the fact that BLM has done no good for the people they claimed to be standing up for? Donations didn’t go into the community or to the families who lost loved ones. BLM didn’t even help with funeral expenses. But they sure did capitalize on dead people and their families. BLM was nothing but a SCAM. BLM didn’t start out as a SCAM, but it degenerated into one pretty damn fast.
I’d like to see a class action counter suit against BLM Inc, consisting of all the people who lost homes, businesses, neighborhoods, and peace of mind.
Because I like irony, perhaps BLM should pay reparations???
Whatever legitimacy BLM may have had in the beginning is long gone.
Now in a lot of folks minds, BLM has become conflated with ANTIFA, violence, murder, rioting, looting, defunding the police, and utter lawlessness. They’re responsible for more gun sales than any organization in history short of maybe World Wars, The RED scare, or the KKK.
I’ll remind you that the KKK did drive gun sales… Among African Americans!
African Americans knew the police or other authorities weren’t going to help them. It was incumbent upon them to protect themselves, their families, their homes, and communities.
This is where the antics of BLM and ANTIFA with their year-long rioting have led all Americans. They’ve destroyed police moral (if not entire police forces), the law, and severely damaged society. So all Americans are re-learning the same lesson African Americans learned long ago.
If you cannot depend on the laws of the land, you must depend on the oldest law on the planet.
The strongest survive. The weak, diseased, and parasites don’t.
So thanks BLM… I’m really looking forward to living in “Mad Max” world.
Now, I’m off to weld spikes & add nitrous to the BMW. Later I’m planning to take a fuel truck from hijackers who’ve got it now!
Good Job!
