Guard Dog

Just like that the Giants lose their two best pitchers: https://www.mlb.com/news/giants-madison-bumgarner-injured-by-line-drive/c-269516312

I was being 100% non serious. But there is at least a fair chance some kind of break up may occur someday. I do not think it will be along state lines like last time. What people today fail to understand about 1860 is the United States was a very different country then. The states were the principle organizing force. The idea of being loyal to the "United States" was a strange one and not commonly held. When a state seceded most folks did not see that as a betrayal so much as sticking by your kin and kind as they said in those days. The Civil War played a part in changing that and creating a national identity. The rail road played an even bigger part to tell the truth. If something like that were to happen again it would be organic. It would cross state lines. And it would likely not be into two entities but three or four. It takes more to make a country than lines on a map. Like tends to call to like. Look in Europe following the collapse of the USSR several nations that were held together only by soviet guns split apart because they were made up of different cultures and languages that had no common history. The entire 20th Century history of the middle east was written in the Syles-Picot agreement in 1917 before any of it ever happened when the British & French reneged on their promise to allow the Arab states to organize themselves and carved up the Ottoman Empire between themselves. Since then all there has been is blood because people who hate each other won't willingly organize with each other. No matter our political differences here Americans still share a common language and a common culture. That counts for a lot. The day may come when political differences become so great it won't count for enough. If the day ever comes where actually freedom is expected to be sacrificed in the name of legislative progress we may reach a breaking point. Therein lies the danger of the gun debate. But we are nowhere near that today. I hope it never happens. I figure you could tell from the tone of my post I was being sarcastic. We are far more likely to wreck our economy with the incompetence of our political leadership than any other demise I could imagine. They took another step down that road yesterday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM5Htcvu548

And so, the nearly 2300 page omnibus spending bill has been passed by the Congress. I would say kudos to Rand Paul, the last sane man in Washington DC, for being the only Republican to vote against it. But he dropped his procedural challenges and let it go to a vote. The bill was released 48 hours prior to the vote. Not enough time foe the members to actually read what they were voting for considering this is what it looked like: You know I seem to recall a certain political party pitching a fit over that very thing not too long ago when a certain OTHER political party was doing it. Like I always say Republicans = Democrats and Democrats = Republicans. When you are being forcible f----d in the rear does it really matter which is holding you by the hips? But, if you work in the US and see 39% of your paycheck missing I'm sure it will comfort you to know that your labors were not entirely in vain. Your Senators carved out a $12.8 Million Dollar pay raise for themselves and their staff. If that does not make you want to give Old Glory a misty eyed salute I don't know what will. http://freebeacon.com/politics/congress-gives-bonus-omnibus/ So it's a race to national insolvency between the donkeys and the elephants. And since no one in the US appears to be considering perhaps it's time to vote for someone other than donkeys or elephants the only question is who is holding the whip when the team goes over the cliff. So what are we to do? I have a modest suggestion:

I remember this well. It was 1996. The Miami Heat were playing the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. It was a total blow out. The Bulls were beating Mourning and the Heat like a drum. Early in the 4th I see Alonzo Mourning and Bimbo Coles over on the bench laughing and joking without a care in the world. I turned off the TV, said "to hell with them" and never watched another Heat game since. If they don't care, why should I? The other night I was following a particularly brutal loss by the Grizz to Charlotte on the radio. They ended up losing 140 something to 70 something. Even the radio analyst, Sean Tuhoy was criticizing the Grizz for having no heart. The I read this: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2766183-report-grizzlies-laughing-joking-in-locker-room-after-61-point-loss-vs-hornets So, Memphis Grizzlies, to hell with you. There is no shame in getting over matched. But there is shame in not caring. And if you don't care, neither do I.

I finally got a chance to see Downfall. It was an excellent movie.

Wayne Huizenga passed away. He's someone I've always had a great deal of admiration for. For a few reasons. He is 100% responsible for my two favorite sports teams existing today: The Miami Marlins and the Florida Panthers. But also because he is the quintessential American success story. College dropout, Army vet, worked had to save money and start a business by buying a garbage truck. 30 years later that one garbage truck grew into Republic Waste, one of the biggest waste disposal companies in the world. He got a lot of negative press in SFL. Not always undeserved. But he did a lot of good with his generosity and philanthropy. Among many other things he built the Humane Society of Broward County a beautiful facility in southern Broward County. Two of the best friends I'll ever know, Gator Bait & Scooby came from there. And for that I'll always be grateful. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wayne-huizenga-blockbuster-miami-dolphins-owner-dies-80-n859586

34 if you want to know. LOL, OK, I don't feel so bad now. You were around then. I was there with the 3rd MAW in '91 same as your Dad & Gifted. It does not seem so long ago but of course, it was.

How about that? Gfted1 and smjjames's father served together. Which, on a carrier, is the equivalent of saying they lived in the same town at the same time. But still.... I don't know why, because I don't know how old smjjames actually is but that makes me feel old.

Loyola Chicago Cuts Off Comedian Hannibal Buress's Mic After Politically Incorrect Performance: http://reason.com/blog/2018/03/21/hannibal-buress-loyola-chicago Edit: Here is another story in that vein: https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-laughing-matter-china-regulator-bans-tv-parodies-052528200.html I will allow Duckman to handle the commentary for me. Man was that show underrated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knIroVvPZU4

... from a practical standpoint, the citicorp decision is akin to dunkin donuts announcing they will no longer allow bump stocks and expanded magazines to be sold at any o' their franchise locations. this is a whole lotta nothing. HA! Good Fun! I was trying to say the same thing subtly with the Kroger comment.

Sorry Val, I meant the one HD linked

Wow, three responses with three very different opinions. injurai thinks its great. I'm indifferent, and Val thinks this moves us one step closer to the tyranny of moral busybodies. Or the subjugation of the word under the reign of Satan , depending on who literally you want to read his response.

The day I had today was like I-10 between Pecos & El Paso: long, hard, and I'm overjoyed it's behind me.

Thoughts? I'm fine with it. Citibank is free to operate as it pleases. If you don't like the restrictions Citibank places on you then you are free not to do business with them. There are other card providers that will write your store cards. I have not problem whatsoever with this kind of thing. If I owned a gun store and chose not to sell bump stocks that is all me. You don't like it? There are other gun stores. If You-Know-Who Sporting Goods chain decides not to sell AR-15s then good for them. If you want to buy and AR-15 go somewhere else. Kroger does not sell them either but I still shop there. You can choose what you sell, what you buy and who from. And that is how it should be. But once the goddamned government gets into it all the choice is gone, now it's force and compulsion and kicking down doors.

I just pay attention to the news, that's all. Plus I read stuff from lots of newspaper sites. I think it's still the best way to get real news even if it's no longer "paper". One nice thing, I have a subscription to the Commercial Appeal, the local paper. If you sign up for the print you get the online access included. They also give you access to all the sites of other papers owned by the parent company, Ganett. So get full access to a dozen or so other publications including one in Australia. It's the best way to get the local flavor without actually going there. It sucks a little that som many newspaper site are putting up paywalls. But if you buy in the give you your money's worth most of the time. Plus journalists have to eat and pay bills too.

I think these two should put up or shut up. Atter school by the kickball field I say we make them fight: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-crazy-biden-down-crying-assaulted-103846063--politics.html

Actually you are both right, sort of I am in TN now. I used to live in FL. I moved up here 8 years ago.

Well, Facebook won't send a squad of agents armed with automatic weapons to kick down your door in te dead of the night, shoot all the family pets, terrorize your children, and drag you off in handcuffs after beating you within an inch of your life whle accusing you of resisting arrest. The government will happily do all those things even over minor, victimless crimes.

OK, I watched the video Val linked. That was actually pretty interesting stuff. Although I think the outrage was a little misdirected. In the example they discussed a "wealthy foreign investor" offers a candidate a deal too good to be true. A major campaign cash infusion for a sweetheart land deal after they are elected. The candidate agrees and the whole thing is on video because it was a set up. The implication that a set up such as this is unethical. Perhaps it is. But what definitely is unethical is a candidate being willing to take a bribe for a sweetheart land deal. A lot of angst was raised over the DNC e-mail leaks during the 2016 election here. But what a lot of people seemed to miss is that the only reason this was a thing is the people in the DNC behaved like a band of arrogant, self-righteous little s---s who insulted everyone not them. Even people who where mostly on their team. Had they conducted their business with even a modicum of the professionalism expected in the real business world there would have been nothing juicy to find. The problem with the collusion between CNN & the DNC to undermine Sanders isn't that it was exposed. The outrage should have been that it WAS happening to BE exposed. The problem isn't diffing up dirt and dirty secrets on political candidates. It's that there is dirt and dirty secrets to be dug up. If the politicians are unethical then how can you expect your government to be ethical. They (Cambridge Analytical) are not talking about making things up. Just exposing what is already there and targeting who gets exposed to what. The only difference between what is being done now as opposed to the past is the scale and sheer number of people you can reach. But in the end all of this depends on the target of the message believing the message. When they walk into a voting booth there is one one else in there but them. No Russians trolls, no Wikileaks, and no Cambridge Analytical). People will get the government they deserve. And the "the people" are a band of gullible fools that believe everything they are told or see on the internet then they don't deserve and ethical government. And they surely won't have one. As Abraham Lincoln once said "The problem with quotes found on the internet is that they are often not true". And I know he said that because I saw a picture of him with that quote on the internet. One last thought. The real root cause of this whole sorry mess is the dependence people have on their governments. They have become dependent on them for social welfare, health care, damn near everything required to live. That makes those governments big and powerful and that attracts the unethical types who abuse that power and the people under it. If you (as a people) resolve to take care of your own selves and families and not depend of the benefice of people in government who don't give a f--k about you anyway then you won't need the "all powerful state" f------g you over and getting filthy rich on your taxes. If you have a government so small you could drown in like a rat in a bucket of water you really don't need to ly awake worrying about who is running it. Just my $.02

We are all being assimilated. And not in the way we think. In this collective you keep your individuality but you are most definitely connected and everyone knows everything about everyone. Kind of terrifying when you think about it.

Brachycephalic dogs have difficulty breathing under some circumstances. But I think stress was likely to root cause.

Air travel has been ruff lately for dogs. First United kills one and then exports another. Now Delta is saying "Hold my beer" http://www.fox5ny.com/news/delta-sends-dog-to-multiple-wrong-cities I wonder if they are racking up frequent flyer miles?

I don't know where it was taken but the when was at least 10 years ago. Taco Bell does not use the logo anymore.