Gromnir

South Dakota Gov. Noem vows 'we won't be social distancing' at Trump Mount Rushmore event ... is so many things we could say 'bout this story. won't. instead we ask folks to read story and then look at comments in response to the story. HA! Good Fun! ps apologies for double, but different topic.

In 2008, Everyone Thought The Recession Was Bad. But in 2020, Many Americans’ Views Depend On Their Party. "In the most recent Quinnipiac University national survey, 69 percent of Republicans described the U.S. economy as “excellent” or “good.” Similarly, nearly two-thirds of Republicans in both Civiqs’s daily tracking polls and in a June 11-15 Associated Press/NORC Poll said that the nation’s current economy is at least leaning toward good. By contrast, only around 10 percent of Democrats thought that the national economy was doing well in those surveys." ... "Before Trump took office, the more racial discrimination white people thought their own group faced, the more likely they were to say that the economy was worse than it had been a year earlier. These voters largely voted for Trump. But under Trump’s presidency, a similar poll found that white voters were less likely to say the economy had gotten worse if they believed white people faced high levels of racial discrimination." we were admitted a smidge surprised by the numbers. sure, we recognized how trump voters, the vast majority o' whom would be republican, would be less likely to blame the President for current economic issues. and yeah, before covid-19 we were recognizing how a disturbing number o' persons refused to admit debt were getting outta control or that farmers and blue-collar manufacturing workers had benefited least from trump efforts to deregulate, reduce taxes for rich and fight a trade war with china. even so, what kinda self-delusion does it take to see current economy as better than september-november 2016? extreme polarization o' the US electorate has resulted in a kinda mass hysteria which is gonna make any kinda positive change difficult and may make bipartisan action impossible. our republican system, for better or worse, requires that for there to be substantial change either an improbable super majority 'mongst populace and those who govern must be achieved or there must be compromise. am beginning to suspect that regardless o' november election results, the US is facing a metaphorical death by a thousand cuts situation. four years o' impotence and incompetence is survivable as long as there is no sooper majority, but such a state may only continue for so long until results is just as bad as a precipitous and catastrophic fail. degree o' perceived white victimization predictis optimism regarding current economy? ... what? wh efforts to gaslight has clear been effective beyond our most improbable nightmares. HA! Good Fun!

more water. less bourbon. HA! Good Fun!

two titles immediate came to mind: okami iwd for a rush job, the production values were exceeding expectations and am admitting we were kinda shocked by just how beautiful were the title. artwork and music were some o' the best in any game we had played up to that point. even today, a couple decades removed from release, iwd remains one o' the more gorgeous games we has ever played. HA! Good Fun!

am ok with defund... in certain situations. is not a one-size-fits-all solution by any means. do a little google research and compare camden defund efforts to philadelphia. camden defunded a few years past, and the new police department which replaced initial had 2x as many excessive force complaints as old department, but only initial. initial were a couple years btw, and how many municipalities is so patient? that said, through change in culture and concerted outreach, camden saw positive evolution o' their police, but it were not ez and there were growing pains. philadelphia did same w/o defunding . in fact, the model for camden, with the exception o' the complete defund, were philadelphia. try and create a new and more huggable police and you is gonna see a need for increased functional cop funding as 'posed to less. efforts to retrain and implement community outreach which is anything more than a farce won't be cheap. chances are while your fledgling flower police is learning to hug rather than harm, you are gonna need pay sheriff to handle some o' the load, and sheriff won't do for free. sad to say, but crime won't stop 'cause police defund. gonna need pay somebody to do what defunded cops did. defund is a double-edged sword which, on some level, is an abomination insofar as typical progressive-democrat ideology is concerned. genuine defund police is a last resort kinda move necessitated by the existence o' cop unions. if you think any substantial change to culture and training is gonna be implemented amongst cops who has a strong union, you is being extreme optimistic. unions frequent resist change for no other reason than they is wired to do so. every change is a first step onto the slippery slope, and so almost all change is presumptive opposed. IF you need get rid o' the union, then you need defund the police department. why did camden defund and philadelphia did not? main answer is camden believed they needed a genuine new start, and that couldn't happen with old union in place. progressive-democrats, busting unions? the gods grant the prayers of those whom they wish to destroy. ain't meant to be so literal, but... regardless, be careful 'bout asking for defund. is not a bad idea per se, but needs be careful planned and long-term issues may not be immediate obvious. defund is not a solution in and of itself. at the very least, becoming union busters should give democrats pause. but, to keep this less political, we will observe how we got one dog who has become increasing more sensitive to loud noises in recent years. were fireworks and gunshots which caused terror-shakes and peeing. is now overhead planes, loud rain and even heavy wind which has the little girl trying to find a safe place from the omni-directional bass sounds. 4th o' july has us closing widows even if temps is ok and watching movies or listening to music at somewhat excessive volumes in an attempt to drown out fireworks noises. we got a small place near tahoe on nevada side o' the border. relative remote. have serious considered taking a few days and hauling the dogs up there to find some respite from the inevitable annual terror-fest which is the week o' the 4th. HA! Good Fun!

@Gorth am suspecting nowadays more people is celebrating hugo weaving's V than they is guy fawkes. welcome to rivendell, evey. HA! Good Fun!

maybe not a total loss. we would stand at least six feet away from anybody wearing that getup in public... with the possible exception o' comicons and halloween. HA! Good Fun!

hmmm. weren't genuine going for obscure. we do highly recommend sinclair lewis. our favorite sinclair lewis is babbit, but am thinking elmer gantry might be the work which has aged best. it can't happen here, were on the reading list o' many in 1935 and 2016, but it is only a mediocre lewis effort even if it were, (and is) disturbing relevant. would suggest elmer gantry to gd if for no other reason it has been banned so frequent since its release. every good libertarian should have such a book on his reading list. ... you can always watch the movie, which is worth viewing for multiple reasons, not the least o' which is shirley jones performance o' lulu bains. HA! Good Fun!

intransigence over masks does make us concerned 'bout a vaccine. many o' these jokers already trend towards the antivaxer idiocy, and is only gonna take a slight nudge from their respected radio and tv personalities to convince those in your image that the vaccine is just as much o' a threat to liberty as is masks. after all, vaccines is big pharma trying to make a buck in spite o' all those kids ending up with autism... and next thing you know, they will be coming for our guns. HA! Good Fun!

last night we heard loud music from 7ish-9:30ish pm. is not a grumpy old man thing 'cause is not as if the music bothered us... weren't as if it were a 2am kinda thing. perhaps an excess o' U2 songs, but otherwise we had no complaints 'bout substance or volume. nevertheless, were weird 'cause, due to covid-19, our community had voted to "delay" its traditional concert series. is an amphitheatre for the community where such stuff is held and while the venue is a few miles distant from Gromnir's home, we are able to hear the concerts when they is held. last night sounded like a concert were being held, which we found perplexing and all together stoopid. weren't a concert. turns out the music were a graduation party with a live band held at a residence 'bout a half-mile from our place. dozens o' folks crammed into an admitted spacious backyard, but no social distancing enforced and no masks. didn't seem particular responsible. as to fireworks, at least three homes has burned down in our community from fireworks related accidents within the last 10 years, and multiple grass fires were started which threatened other homes. whatever. is a northern CA thing and is simple part o' the norm that week before and after 4th there is gonna be fireworks aplenty in an area with a whole lotta dry brush and heritage oaks just waiting to burst into flames. folks prepare. all our properties have steel roofs, am less concerned than we were in past. less. this year our community board debated whether to postpone the 4th fireworks celebration and community parade 'cause o' covid-19. is one o' the larger fireworks displays held in our area. scale o' the fireworks is noteworthy particular as the actual size o' the community is smallish. the parade is somewhat more pedestrian and is mostly people decorating their golf carts in red, white and blue bunting. population o' the community functional quadruples one night o' the year. families pack the verdant grass lawns adjacent to community thoroughfares. blankets and lawn chairs is staked out to claim best available spots a week in advance... the blankets always strike us as an odd way to establish a claim as sprinklers is running on those days leading up to the 4th. anyways, board decided not to delay fireworks to a fall holiday. more curious, while the maintenance crew announced they could paint social distance circles on lawn areas to encourage responsible behaviour during a freaking pandemic, such an an effort at mitigation were rejected. ... the community does also throw a very nice pancake breakfast on the morning o' the 4th. serious though, why would anybody reject the option o' having social distance circles being painted on community lawn areas? a large percentage o' the community is older, with children and grandchildren visiting for the 4th. the rate o' comorbidity in our community is gonna be as bad/worse than even the navajo reservations for simple fact so many is so old. would assume people would be extra careful, no? no. also amusing is the excessive number o' the plastic garbage cans in our community reduced to puddle/pile o' filth and ash the night o' the 4th 'cause otherwise smart folks don't realize how dumping hot spent fireworks in their trash barrels is a bad idea. am suspecting at least a dozen such fails occur every year. well, at least the fireworks stuff is an outdoor event, so covid-19 issues is dramatic reduced, but am confident we see infection spikes 'cause avenues will be packed with maskless morons who will later return home and attempt to set their homes ablaze by lighting trash cans on fire. HA! Good Fun!

hobbes and Gromnir end at much different locations, but we start journey from a similar place. credit where credit is due. we also have been known to quote faulkner, but it don't make us a racist, and you know we don't love the south as he did. don't even get us started on nietzsche. if we were quoting hobbes as to proper role o' government, then you would have cause to question. converse, gd is actual indulging in the vices. is this your elmer gantry moment? after all, who but one o' the truly depraved may understand what it is to be a sinner? preach on brother dog. we kid. that said, vices such as vaccinations, nitrogen-based fertilizer and refrigeration is stuff we would need be a bit obtuse to turn our back 'pon 'cause o' some sorta luddite moment. heck, we had our appendix burst in our early 30s, so, we would be dead w/o a few o' those infernal modern vices. HA! Good Fun!

... waiting for gd to recognize the inherent irony in sharing such thoughts on a crpg developer's digital message board. "no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short." even so, sounds like a swell trip. personal enjoyed the first day o' sub 100 F in a week. dog walking in the AM and, for a change, indoor cooking as 'posed to the grill. HA! Good Fun!

wish it were a second wave, but it is likely just a spike from stoopid. perhaps call it an American hump? am agreeing such were inevitable 'cause o' American decentralization and stoopid-in-the-guise-of-individualism. our first post in the original covid-19 thread had not only the frank drebin clip, but also mocked the inevitability o' resistance to sane mitigation guidelines. we claimed the predictable protesters would legitimize such resistance 'cause, "next thing you know, they will be coming after our guns." what surprised us, and is true inconceivable for us to have made such a mistake, but we assumed trump, as all previous Presidents in living memory, would make an attempt at unifying the country to deal with the crisis. there is a natural/unnatural and predictable rally-to-the-flag moment following every crisis in this nation. folks beyond our borders is disturbed by seeming ubiquitous displays o' patriotism by Americans, but such also has us tending to unify (sometimes to an admitted scary degree) when a perceived threat arises. didn't happen in 2020. covid-19 rally-to-the-flag were a stillbirth abomination which died almost instantaneous. yes, even with genuine leadership and unity, there woulda' nevertheless been far too many who rejected calls for sacrifice in the name o' a greater cause. is not a bad impulse. a few more such folks rejecting fear as a reason to suppress liberties and we wouldn't have been stuck with the Patriot act. the thing is, this time we had the President active encouraging those sons o' liberty to reject The State and its guidelines, and the threat weren't some kinda possible/maybe threat from afar, but rather a disease, immune to ideology, which were already entrenched and spreading in the US, killing hundreds and thousands every day. the terrible reality is those hardcore libertarians who refuse to wear masks and social distance in 2020, would be far more willing to sacrifice if the threat were once again some kinda possible threat from a source which could convenient and comfortable be labeled as islamic extremism. give trump credit for reading tea leaves correct. particular after his oval office speech and the first couple covid-19 task force briefings, trump recognized that his aspirations for a second term would not be successful if he sought to bring together a nation he had worked so hard to divide for three years. trump's only chance were to solidify his base and hope for a miracle. IF covid-19 evaporated in the summer like the flu typical does, trump could win. IF the economy were able to shake off the impact o' covid-19 by september/october, then trump could win. IF hydroxy were a miracle drug... trump knows he needs gamble to win, and he is willing to gamble with tens of thousands of american lives. trump will continue to divide the nation and solidify his base while simultaneous gaslighting x1000 and hoping for a miracle. yeah, we would see a spike regardless 'cause Americans is Americans-- better and worse. would be many who did not trust cdc or President or government puppets with advanced medical degrees. such distrust isn't a bad thing, but this time the distrust following the rally-to-the-flag moment were encouraged by the President and his reasons were transparent mercenary. spike wouda' been much smaller if almost any other 2016 major candidate had successful won the Presidency. HA! Good Fun!

odd. watching the task force briefing, we recalled our firstest obsidian board covid-19 thread post. believe pence and you would think the US south and southwest has a few hotspots which should be contained in short order. nothing to see. oh, and somehow, not following cdc advice is a first amendment issue. ... not need say this, or we would hope so, but the rights o' free speech and assembly does not preclude a person from choosing to follow guidelines which prevent the spread of infection and save lives. the wh has chosen to flaunt cdc guidelines which it simultaneous claims is important for preventing the spread o' the virus. 'cause maga is the new opiate o' the masses. HA! Good Fun!

is weird we ain't seen the text o' the executive order trump signed regarding monuments. well, is weird 'cause is unusual to not have text released to press and public before or contemporaneous with signing, but is less weird in this case. trump tweets 'bout an order which would punish retroactive those who vandalized monuments with up to 10 years prison woulda' violated multiple aspects o' the Constitution, not least which were the ex post facto prohibition. trump also claimed authority based on a 2003 law, which only applied to monuments o' veterans o' US military, which would obvious preclude confederate statues. oh, and federalism. *shrug* still weird... am assuming wh releases as late as possible so ast to avoid needing to respond before weekend. HA! Good Fun!

2e were arguable the worst d&d, with all the nonsensical organic crap which had accumulated from d&d's origins and were not purged, while adding kits and other such nonsense which grew utter outta control. 2e were an abomination perhaps best visualized by the gibbering mouther image. ... 2e did include planescape though, so not a complete loss. also, we got the original module in which the critter appeared, which were c-1, the hidden shrine of tamoachan. erol otus did artwork for the gibbering mouther. so... there is a 2e di terlizzi image we like best for the gibbering mouther, but it is more funny than scary. 3e, taken as a whole and previous to all the splat book extras, were better than previous editions o' d&d. were far more rational, but we did miss some o' the old skool d&d/ad&d artists. and am knowing is not what you mean, but nobody voted for bolton. Gromnir is a textualist after all. nsa is one o' the few senior wh positions not requiring senate approval. on positive side, with national security advisor, we don't get transparent unconstitutional "acting" exploit which no other President has ever manipulated to such a degree as trump, but is unlikely to ever change. need somebody with standing to bring a case to Courts. as to the book, am not gonna read bolton's tell-mostly/tell-selective until we may borrow a copy from the local public library as we ain't paying money for anybody remote involved with the book. also, is our understanding the book is hundreds o' pages which may be encapsulated in a single image good news for gd is mary trump's book is near ready for release, but am even less curious 'bout her book. am already convinced trump is a terrible president and a contemptible human being based on many trump actions and statements. discover the details o' fugly trump family trauma will do what? legitimize what we already believe? public sharing o' real family trauma makes us a bit uncomfortable. will read brothers karamazov or sound and the fury if we need scratch such an itch. that said, am agreeing for public persons running for office, such fodder is fair game, but even so am not some kinda lovecraftian monster who is gonna gleeful feed off o' tragedy and pay for the right to indulge such appetites. will wait for the movie. joke. we joke. HA! Good Fun! ps not kidding 'bout terribleness o' 2e .

we read the transcript from the interview and then imagine trump takes one o' those silly what d&d class would you be quizzes/surveys. impossible occurs and trump result is: btw, the gibbering mouther in chief had a few competent and qualified people in the administration, but he fired 'em or they resigned. bolton were hired 'cause h.r. mcmaster were no longer national security advisor. hardly a singular example. Richard Spencer: I was fired as Navy secretary. Here’s what I’ve learned because of it. who followed richard spencer? thomas modly others? HA! Good Fun!

as is typical, the failures is in your perception and comprehension as 'posed to any shortcoming on our part. no surprise. HA! Good Fun!

hillary clinton were a historic unpopular Presidential candidate, and she nevertheless managed to win the popular vote? so we end up with a "populist" such as trump? wait, that sounds wrong, no? trump is aberrational, or at least he was. no reputable composite popularity poll for trump has ever had him reach even 50% approval. the notion o' an unpopular populist successfully gaining and keeping power is kinda a political oxymoron possible only 'cause o' a strange confluence o' events and the uniqueness o' the US republic. control of senate may be achieved, theoretical, by ~20% o' the US population. the President may be elected w/o win o' popular vote. the 2020 Presidency itself is not at all what the framers envisioned, so we cannot even blame them for oversights. regardless, the Presidency were never meant to be voted in by popular consent o' the great unwashed masses. the Court is most decided not appointed democratic. is possible for a small percentage o' the US population to functional control the federal government. ... the dirty non secret o' american democracy is that a benevolent tyranny of the minority, sadly, is exact what the framers were building in 1787. white and propertied males were never the majority in the US. that said, the framers were wise to fear the tyranny o' the majority, which is why American democracy is largely a repudiation o' the athenian model. the Bill of Rights, which Gromnir champions frequent, were designed as limit on the predictable excesses and tyranny o' the majority. nevertheless, the educated and landed gentleman whom we are preparing to celebrate loudly this coming 4th o' july were a bunch o' bigots who were afraid o' the poor and immigrants... and don't let the upcoming hamilton release on disney fool you 'bout how enlightened and magnanimous were those folks. what the framers could not imagine, 'cause it weren't actual possible at the time, were that a largely uneducated and relative poor minority would be able to decide the fate o' the nation. a "populist" President able to appeal to an angry and fearful minority, even if possible, were not to be greatly feared. in spite o' fact the President is commander in chief, the US had no standing armies in 1787. also, the President had extreme limited powers mostly limited to foreign affairs. course things change a bit in a couple centuries and the executive branch is not at all what it were in 1787. the US improbable blundered its way into an unpopular populist such as trump in 2016. nevertheless, once an improbable mistake occurs, it becomes increasing easy to replicate the mistake by design. given the nature o' this board, am gonna observe how crpg fans is no doubt aware o' how wacky and bizarre is a few o' those xp and/or gold exploits which haunt many/most game releases. with just the right party composition, completing a quest and choosing specific dialogue options, will lead to an infinite replication exploit. call it a bug or a design flaw not make a difference. reality is that until game developers fix, many players will take advantage o' the exploit. the US Constitution don't have game developers-- we got the amendment process. imagine if removal o' every busted arse crpg exploit required 2/3 of game purchasers to agree to a change o' the exploit? we broke it, and now we are stuck with it. may god have mercy on our souls. HA! Good Fun!

particular apropos message for our times. then again, and at least somewhat to the point, history should teach us how our times is not as unique as it should be save for inevitably o' our fail to learn over and over and over again. HA! Good Fun!

am predicting a whole lotta artistic license which will incense many o' the few thousand o' us folks who actual read foundation. won't bother or suprise us personal as we understand the need for adapting to a different audience and medium, but there will be complaints. inevitable. asimov's "book" were one o' the original grand works o' science fiction. weren't a book, not original. foundation were serialized in a pulpy scif mag. the eventual book were a collection o' related short stories which, if followed religious by the apple folks, would confuse the heck outta many folks who just watched the trailer. is short stories and nevertheless the pacing were glacial, almost literal. a whole lotta non-action events progressed over the course o' a thousand years. don't misunderstand our observations as criticism. we enjoyed foundation, particularly as a somewhat pretentious teen reading a delrey version back in the early 80s. still recall the kewl michael whelan cover art which much as anything had us buy the series entire (lightly used) at a church flea market sale when we could ill afford to do so. ... am not gonna spoil, but the first book especial, is not akin to star wars or even dune. edward gibbons' series, the history of the decline of the roman empire were not suitable to be made into a movie save as a documentary, and foundation itself as a movie/series would most accurate work if embracing a documentary style. not gonna happen. if decline of the roman empire were in far future and could be replicated in five short stories 'stead o' six volume, you would have something similar to foundation. were so fantastic. 'course gibbons work were (kinda) made into a movie, so... HA! Good Fun!

two words which shoulda made a 2016 trump win impossible: muslim ban p#$$y grab john mccain etc. still saddens us beyond any capacity to communicate that we, as a people, elected a man advocating a f#$%ing muslim ban. wtf. the grab comments came later and likewise failed to dissuade. polarization. trump in wh is the result o' polarization, and it's polarization which is the big problem. won't be fixed even if trump is not winning a second term. exit polls in 2016 made clear most voters, even most voters who voted for trump, didn't like trump or believe he were competent, but they liked clinton even less. four years pass and polarization is so much worse. is now impossible for many trump voters to consider the possibility o' voting for one o' those filthy democrats who is responsible for hoaxes such as russian election interference and the failed trump response to covid-19 in early 2020. in spite o' concerns o' 'bout trump competence and character, it were a matter o' trump or _________. so many important issues and the typical trump voter were only casting their ballot for trump 'cause the threat o' President clinton were too much to bear. fast forward to 2020 and an extraordinary number o' 2016 trump voters has convinced selves trump is a savior o' sorts. in spite o' near four years o' historic incompetence and impotence, trump is their guy, no matter what. each new self-created wh crisis is only further proof that the only reason democrats hate trump so much is 'cause the chief executive threatens the scheme o' deep state power, or so the conspiracy goes. is not rational. is not reasonable. is polarization. now admitted, some folks were ahead o' the curve. had boardies hereabouts who raged 'gainst democrats back in 2026, or 'gainst democrats AND republicans. capacity to be reasonable had already disappeared for many previous to trump presidency, but am thinking most observers not need to be convinced overmuch to agree with general observation regarding the increased polarization o' the US electorate during the past few years. "ever seen a car accident just before it happens? as often as not, the first indication you got that a car accident happened is the sound o' car horns immediate followed by the loud crash as two or more cars slam into each other with bone shattering force. but sometimes you actual see the accident unfold. you see the guy pull his el camino into the bike lane and accelerate into an intersection in spite o' the fact that he gots a red light. is literal nothing you can do to stop the guy, but you know what is gonna happen. you cringe. your whole body tenses. you await the crash. trump is the guy in the el camino, but the accident is happening in slow motion and can easily be stopped. inexplicably, more than 1/3 o' the americans watching the developing accident is cheering trump forward." -- Gromnir, 8/16 in spite o' our being conservative, 'least from traditional national voting pov, the impending trump accident were obvious in 2016. the thing is, in spite o' us all standing 'mongst the wreckage o' the current administration, +/-40% o' Americans is now cheering trump forward. polarization. two-words which shoulda made a 2016 trump win impossible: p#$$y grab muslim ban john mccain etc. polarization. HA! Good Fun! ps "muslim ban" shoulda' been more than enough to get a few more people in battleground states to vote, but... is possible we are paying for our sins.

double-post, but... Politics Influenced Justice Department In Roger Stone Case, DOJ Lawyer Tells Hill aaron zelinsky opening statement am aware such stuff will have zero impact on trump supporters. nevertheless, read the opening statement and the facts o' the case which were resulting in a guilty verdict. forthcoming testimony should be a resulting p00p storm o' outrage from all corners, but am certain this is gonna once again break on party lines. is another situation where will be up to voters to decide in november, 'cause is no way barr is impeached by this senate. "It pains me to describe these events. But as Judge Jackson said in this case, the truth still matters. And so I am here today to tell you the truth."-- ausa aaron zelinsky sounds similar to another ignored witness. "this is America . . . here, right matters." -- lt. col. alexander vindman we now know that right don't in fact matter to at least a majority o' US senators. why should truth fare any better? HA! Good Fun!

seeing how the monopoly is foundational to modern concepts o' State, am thinking you likely get your anarchist membership card with little fuss. congrats? HA! Good Fun! ps ok, so that were mildly amusing. am gonna give youtube a temporary reprieve from our condemnation o' its near certain recommended for you fails.

paul harvey tells us gd spent the rest o' the day cleaning the damn thing. cleaning. cleaning. cleaning. *shudder* HA! Good Fun!