Guard Dog

Just finished this: Robert Smalls was a slave in 1861 who had been taught to pilot small boats in the SC lowlands. In 1862 he and a few other slaves stole a Confederate Warship, the CSS Planter. On May 12 1862 the Planter had taken on guns to take back to Charleston the following day. The crew (but for three officers) were ashore that night. Smalls crept into the Captains cabin and put on his uniform and straw hat, released the slaves in the hold and commandeered the ship. They sailed the Planter brazenly past the CS outpost with Smalls in uniform at the wheel. They even stopped and rescued other slaves and families of the crew. They sailed the Planter straight to the Union blockade and surrendered the Planter to the US Navy. Smalls went on to serve with (but not in) the US Navy for the duration of the war. He became the pilot of the very ship he stole. After the war he received prize money for the capture of the Planter which he used to move back to Charleston and buy his old master's house and start a business. Eventually he got into politics. How the hell is this man's story not a movie?

I missed this story last week. Just saw it. Lazy Lester, the best bluesman you've never heard of (unless you live along the Mississippi River) passed away at age 85. RIP and many thanks for the music! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GkbNJ7BfCU&list=RDJ7mgL8x_bxk&index=4

Tonight I'm drinking Sam Adams Rebel IPA and playing 70's rock on the outdoor speakers. Loudly. I bet you can hear it for a mile. Fortunately there is no one within a mile to bitch about it. That is most awesome. Now playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHhrZgojY1Q

RIP John McCain. His passing is being met with quite a bit of snark on some of the forums I frequent. I find that unseemly and even a little low class. He served this country as best he knew how. Whether or not he served it well is a decision every American must make for themselves. And opinions will certainly vary. But responding to his passing in a celebratory tone is pretty inappropriate IMO. No one's death should be a cause for celebration. Even the most evil of people. Someone loved them and will miss them. Or mourn for what they might have been. McCain was none of those things. It is not necessary to remember him in admiration or even respect but it's not asking too much to put the invective on hold for a night or two. Just my $.02. For my part I'll say I found him an honorable man. And he may well be the last Republican I will have ever voted for.

Sony Aibo Robot Dog is coming. With a $2900 price tag. Of course compared the the cost of caring for a real dog that is pittance. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6091615/Sony-unveils-litter-edition-version-Aibo-robot-dog-itll-set-2900.html

New rule. For each new incoming President a special counsel will be appointed on inauguration day. A grand jury convened by July 4th each year following an election. By each new President's 2nd year State of the Union address a draft of Articles of Impeachment will be drawn up with certain fields left blank just waiting on the SC. Inconclusive findings will be leaked out prior to mid terms. If the mid terms go right for the opposition party then let the games begin. In all seriousness what a crew we've had in the White House these last forty years. Sending money to to guerillas in contravention of law. Selling weapons to a sworn enemy to pay for it. One guy couldn't tell the truth if it was written on the wall in front of him, another took a small smoldering economic fire and flung a bucket of gasoline at it. One thought it was OK to use the IRS to harass his opposition and even though it would be OK to order us killed. Then there is this f-----g guy. All of them have started wars and wasted money like drunken sailors on a Bangkok 96. But if you look back and consider the people who might have been President but weren't things don't look any better! Who was the last US President you've respected? Kennedy? Eisenhower? Has there even been one? You's almost think we'd be better off abolishing the office. I made this point before. Anyone who actually WANTS that job is probably someone we don't want to have it. Anyone who ends up there will likely have bodies hidden. And is absolutely willing to hide more.

One week after entering the NM Senate Race Gary Johnson is polling in 2nd place at 21%. Looks like he stole support from both candidates but more from the Republican. Let's hope he can keep his wits about him this time. https://www.krqe.com/news/politics-governement/poll-shows-standings-in-nm-gubernatorial-senate-races/1386397121

Oh yeah, emotions are still raw Im sure. But when it comes to taking a farm, the British took it from the Boers, who took it from whatever people who had it who took it from different people, and on back it goes. There is never a moral justification for taking whats not yours. You're just the next bully with guns stealing from people you hate.

I've never been homeless. I have no concept what that might be like. But even if I were I just don't think I'd say "what the hell I'll just take a s--t right here". Maybe dignity is the last thing to go.

People alive today are not responsible for the sins of those who came before. Even if they benefited from them. We have this discussion here in the US from time to time about reparations for slavery. OK, show me someone alive today who was held as a slave before the 13th Amend and we'll give him a check. Show me someone alive today who kept slaves when it was legal and we'll take the money from them. The land I live on today used to belong to the Chicksaw Indians. In the 1830's they were run off by The State of Mississippi & Tennessee. If one of them showed up today and wanted it back I'd tell him to get lost. I didn't take it from him. It never belonged to him personally. Hell my ancestors were not even in the country when all that happened. I bought my place from a man named Cates whose father bought it from the TVA who bought is from a soybean company who bought it from someone else. All of that happened long after the Chicksaw went west. There is no one walking this mud ball today whose ancestors were not wronged by someone else's. No apologies are owed. The ANC seems to have lost whatever restraint it had when dealing with the minorities in the RSA. I guess that was inevitable. The rainbow nation was a nice idea. Too bad it has humans living in it. Of course the RSA government hasn't actually DONE anything yet. That I've heard of at least. But you have to figure it's coming.

Eminent Domain at gunpoint. There are folks in Washington soooo jealous right now!

I'm not sure what is more appalling. The fact that this job exists. That it pays what it does. Or the fact that it's actually needed! I think I'll go with the last one. Well Hurlshot if you ever get tired of teaching there are other options. The summers won't be near as nice as what you're used to though! https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-22/san-francisco-poop-patrollers-make-185000

Well you gotta get your money back somehow

If you want to change the relationship between the government and the people you have three options. Revolution Go somewhere else and start over Elect people who agree it should be changed. Option 1 is not desirable for a lot of reasons. Option 2, well we are fresh out of somewhere elses. Option 3 seems the way to go. Maybe nothing will change. Maybe LP candidates will simply become the people they replace. We don't know. We DO know what we are getting now however. There are many who find it unacceptable and many more who might when/if they realize there are other options. Do nothing and nothing ever changes.

Maybe it's my mental illness (being male) but I'm really having hard time seeing this as sexual assault. The guy was 17. Yes, not legal. But I'd bet $1M he was more than willing. Would YOU have told her no?

LOL Gfted. You mean he’s a little short of money and figured this would be a good way to get some from her.

James, I do not call you out on this because it really doesn’t matter. But you should definitely visit a few website and read a few books. Just about everything you think you know about the libertarians is wrong.

The difference being you are allowed to defend yourself from violence unless it’s the government being violent to you.

Quote of the day “Behind every law there are people with guns who will put you in a cage. And if you don’t want to go into the cage they will kill you.“ Larry Sharpe (L) candidate for New York Governor and hopefully future President of the United States

I don’t know why she felt she had to pay him off. Remember when you were 17? If you had bragged to your friends that you had just banged a model would anyone of them have believed you?

Are you flying from Honolulu? That's was how we did it. We took the hopper to Kauai from Oahu.

Oh yeah? Well Finland guess what we have that your don't??? Summer!

It turns out the leader of the #metoo crowd paid off a guy she had sex with to keep quiet. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/asia-argento-paid-sexual-assault-accuser-report-1135872 Seriously? If I was 17 years old and had gotten into that I would NOT have considered myself a victim of sexual assault. I'd probably have that high on my "life's-greatest-moments" list.

Mother Jones Orogun? I'd find it more credible if you said you overheard that at that laundromat or something. And when a government hires a contractor they pay the contractor not the other way around. And as far as arrest quotas, that is a whole other issue that has nothing to do with who prison guards work for.