Communism is not an economic plan. It is a control system. Plastic-straw bans, drive-through crackdowns, minimum-wage mandates, tip games, and anti-business rules all move in the same direction: harass the small operator, squeeze the franchisee, punish the restaurant owner, and make middle-class independence harder to sustain. The kulak is always the target. Today he owns a diner, a burger joint, a truck-stop counter, or an HVAC shop instead of a farm. The machine hates him because he feeds families without permission. The plastic straw man argument was never about plastic. It was about power.
Straws? How about plastic bags at the grocery store checkout? 12 States have banned that despite 80% (my estimate) of what you buy is wrapped in plastic. Meat, vegetables, dairy all packaged in plastic. “I have one word for you, son. Plastic.”
But so is my garden (mold tends to collect on my mulch and bacteria, plenty), so it doesn't bother me. I live outside in every possible weather... Hand washing and a boatload of Vitamin D keeps me from getting sick.
And whenever one of the resuable plastic bags gets visibly stained, out it goes.
All of my brain space that could be devoted to worry over germs is devoted to fighting against Communism and arthritis. I was like this before Coup-VID 19(84) and even more so ever since...
Nope (though they are and could be even in CA without NewScum and the left).
I just say the bags are a silly fad.
Young lefty brains can sometimes be subtlely penetrated by an oblique approach ("Hmm... Am I silly?). Head-on ignites their mind virus and communication shuts off.
The mention of micro-plastics burns my biscuits. Why can’t “the science” leave us alone to live in peace? No. These control freaks (commies if you like) insist that my every waking moment I must live in fear of everything around me—what I eat or don’t eat, how much sleep I get, how much I exercise or don’t, what foods I buy: organic or not, air pollution, SSRIs in our water supply, the fear of cancer or Alzheimer’s, and now how having microplastics in my body predisposes me to major health issues.
After the scamdemic lies and manipulations, I refuse to play the fear games “the science” promotes. Even before, I was always wary of “experts” especially in the medical field. Now I’m done. After all, I’m not getting off this planet alive anyway. I can choose to think for myself and live free.
Wish that I had the choice. Our former demonicrat mayor banned plastic bags in grocery stores in our city. But you can still get a plastic bag in a drugstore. Go figure.
Btw the plastic that items are wrapped in is useful too. It protects my food from the bacteria that is undoubtedly lurking in the small collection of sturdy plastic tote bags I've ended up buying and reusing endlessly.
They live in my car along with all the plant debris from my gardening adventures.
Plastic is simply a godsent invention - always has been.
That sounds exactly like the clown show in NYC some years back when the mayor banned “Big Gulps” from some, but not all stores. The bodegas had different restrictions than street vendors, etc.
I do my best to avoid CVS. Even with all the coupons they send me - Like 40% off your order, $5 off one item, etc - they are considerably more expensive than the supermarkets or online markets like Iherb or Vitacost. Then when you buy that one item at CVS, you get a 2-foot long receipt with a whole bunch of coupons to try to get you to come back.
It is too bad that the average Joe Bagadoughnuts is so malinformed that he believes the commiecrats propaganda. The left wants us to be, essentially slaves to their system to pay for their nose-in-the-air way of life. We need to push back wherever we can.
But think of all the savings associated with communism, you don't need million square foot stores, a simple building the size of a small van with two empty shelves will suffice. Retail theft rates fall to zero when there's nothing to steal as well. That frees up prison space that is desperately needed to house people who insist on using their brains.
Meanwhile, ALL of America's trash today is sent to the landfill/dump in PLASTIC bags. It's a requirement in most municipalities. Are we cuckoo or what?
Richard, this is an excellent summation. Thank you. Your ability as a writer compares with Don. Wonderful for you to be among us and take the time to write useful information.
After Pittsburgh voluntarily cleaned itself in the 1960s without a dime from government, can anyone recall an environmental cause with any legitimacy? They are invented accounts combining the appearance of waste, selfish over use, and convenience as guilt to control and destroy.
I may use 1.6 plastic straws a year. But you know who uses a lot of them? All those leftists clogging up the Starbucks drive through getting their “coffee” that is really a modified milkshake with a splash of coffee to make it official. And most of those are obese women.
Look at the way the leftists have designated Rachel Carson as a Mother Theresa-type saint for banning DDT. The claim it was making eagles extinct was a lie, and banning DDT has resulted in more than 100 million needless deaths from malaria in Africa. But everywhere you go all you see are Rachel Carson nature preserves, Rachel Carson this or that. And Pittsburgh even has a bridge named after her. She's another witch they worship just like Margaret Sanger.
Yes, I forgot about the DDT scare campaign. It was a good chemical, and as I recall, it was said you could eat it without harm - but they suggested people not do that.
Why weren’t they concerned over Agent Orange in Vietnam? Many lives were ruined with the government ignoring the damage to the soldiers.
To be honest, when I ordered a coffee from Starbucks it always included expresso and it never came with a straw…their cup tops aren’t built for straws. Btw, I’m a card carrying conservative but I love Starbucks coffees.
I see many high-domed clear plastic lids on their “coffee” drinks to accommodate 3 inches of whipped cream or foam - all with a plastic straw sticking out the top and most being carried by a blue-haired woman.
Yes, I am stereotyping, but unlike the leftist sociologist who condemn stereotyping, they are accurate aggregate templates or models of culture and society. They are organic descriptions of peoples’ observations.
Yes, and for a long time, Starbucks plastic cups were not made of #1 or #2 plastic, which is recyclable, but #5 plastic, which is NOT recyclable. #5 is stronger than #1 or #2, so that is likely why Starbucks used it. But for YEARS, that was a HUGE number of non-recyclable plastic cups being put into the world by Starbucks. A HUGE hypocrisy for liberals to never called them out on it.
I think the last time I used a straw was in kindergarten. Always thought it seemed kind of juvenile. The exception is when you are laying in a hospital bed and want to drink something. Guess they have a purpose in that case.
Roast level preference cuts across all political divides.
I drank CharBucks for a while because the handful of conservatives in my previous town all hung out there, and we would make fun of the one or two local lefty politicians who came in.
But I realized I liked at least medium roast, and eventually found a fabulous light roast made by veteran-owned USA-made Warpath Coffee - dark chocolate flavor. It's one of those things where I do my best to ignore the extra expense coz it's SO worth it.
The last time I remember needing a straw was sixty years ago. We only had one six pack between three or four of us teenagers so we sipped beer through a straw believing we could get a buzz off of the bubbles. Can't remember if it worked or not... That being said, I wonder what the Trumpster will do today.....
I have used straws in restaurants for decades because I trust a wrapped disposable straw for cleanliness as opposed to tumblers washed in a comercial dishwasher.
Ever check the temperature of the hot water in those machines? Hot enough to take the hide off your hand in a second. I remember basic training in the Army. We had to stop using the machines when on Kip because they got so hot that people were getting severe burns from them. Guess no one knew how to adjust the water temp just like no one knew how to make the potato peeling machine work correctly. Ah, great times.
Methinks that an obvious failure with the environmentalists is that they chose as a leader one of the very dumbest men on the planet… Algore (as my hero Rush Limbaugh would pronounce his name.)
Ignorant, yes. But he saw that celebrity and the right cause could make you a lot of money. Guess that makes him a capitalist of sorts, albiet the leftist version of it.
As stupid as he is, he was the carnival barker or snake oil salesman of all time! His Chicago Carbon Capture Credit scheme was absurdly ingenious and that is where he made his fortune. And he also sold his loser Current TV to Al Jazeera. And his family made their fortune from Occidental Oil but Al wanted to shut the industry down? He is evidence that if he can make it in America anyone can.
Good point, but I would argue that dating to his army days as a clerk-typist (no leader would subject himself to being a typist) I would say he never constructed the words, he only typed them. And, he’s an all-time douchebag.
Got to disagree on Al Gore. He is not dumb at all, he was very smart. And in the beginning, very sincere. He recognized the importance of caring for the earth early on and publicized that need. I really liked his first book, "Earth in the Balance". I also voted for him for President, over George Bush, who was indeed dumb.
Later, Al Gore deteriorated, and became, as people sometimes do, "caricatures of themselves". The "noble environmentalist" title went to his head, and he lost touch with reality, going deep into climate change, and being willing to lie ("exaggerate") in order to "protect" the Earth.
In England, they called Gore out on the movie version of "An Inconvenient Truth" for actually including UNtruths. Gore ADMITTED in Court he had exaggerated, but said it was "for a good cause" to make people pay attention. But England said the movie couldn't be shown unless it was corrected, and Gore did indeed make the changes for the version of the movie shown in England. (Of course, this was England a couple decades ago, not the England it is today.)
Thats an interesting comment. Especially your opinion of Bush. I didn't see GW as dumb, just way over his head as POTUS. Some would call him lazy as well snd too eager to let others take the lead on an issue he should have pushed. His biggest mistake was Cheney but I dont think he had any choice on staff selection. GW came with a lot of baggage and that baggage was all self-earned. I met Gore once and immediately disliked him. Likely he felt the same about me.
Yes, my caveat is that the "early"/"young" version of Al Gore had some good qualities. And it could be that Bush was smarter than he seemed. He was definitely not very articulate, so that may have made him seem less intelligent.
I guess all our leaders are just people, with strengths and weaknesses. But Trump is exceptional, in that his strengths are really awesome and well developed, and he has mitigated his weaknesses to some extent. Trump is in truth a "Very Stable Genius".
Think GW was trying to allay anti-Muslim sentiment while encouraging Muslims to actually be peaceful. No one who has ever read history, and seen Islam, believes all Muslims are peaceful. I put the number at 50%
Too bad DJT doesn’t have GWs kinder, less attacking personality at times. But as you say, at end if day they are just human like the rest of (most) of us.
I was once given a going-away placard that is far more appropriate to Trump. It read, “Humility is not one of my faults; but if I had one, that would be it.”
I thank God every day for the imperfect specimen that is DJT.
You actually believe people can disagree? 😀I’m shocked!
Ever since the Marine Corps taught me to march, I have thought going in a different direction required a mass change. Algore was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, has always had smart advisors (and ghost writers), has never let himself be original. Plus, he’s a physical coward.
Agree 100%! Both Bushes had not a drop of moral principles (I voted for them 4 times… having considered the alternatives.) Both were decent men and polite to a fault. Neither knew ANYTHING about the lives of real Americans (those not born into generational wealth) and neither had any strong political principles. But they were not the depths of American society… they left that to Obama/Biden!
Around the same time there was a true environmentalist called Dixie Lee Ray who called out the climate change scam right from the start. I remember reading a book she wrote.
I think Rush pronounced it like "Owlgore". The irony about Gore is that they portrayed him as a genius and George W. as a dunce. But, Gore dropped out of Vanderbilt University for graduate studies in religion and law while George W. is the 1st president with a MBA.
I remember that some guy called in and tried to give a description of how to use only one square. It was pretty gross and Rush cut him off before he got to the punch line. Rush was hilarious. And right.
What Sheryl crow used one TP square to remedy, men use zero, because she could only have been referring to peeing. If she regularly uses one tissue square for #2, then her diet consists of corrugated cardboard.
Unfortunately the only message Republicans ever put forth is "Vote for us because we're not Democrats." Do the voters want Bud Lite or Miller Lite? What does someone like John Thune stand for, or even claim to stand for?
Agreed. And I live in Virginia, God forbid. Talk about gutless wonders; the Republican party here is the poster child for the weak-kneed totem.
When the Israelis booby-trapped all the pagers and blew off the terrorists' family jewels, I told my best friend that, "Well, they could always emigrate here as Republicans."
Many of the worst RINOs are indeed in the blue states.
(Speaking from experience here in blueMA.)
However, the conservative end of the R party in MA is pushing back on them _hard_ with this year's slate, especially Mike Minogue.
If anyone here is disaffected with Mass RINO's, please vote against RINO Brian Shortsleeve on Sept 2. Minogue could pull off an upset against Maura Healey.
I always think of Virginia politics like pearl clutching country club ladies. They need to get rid of the fundraiser by rich R's and do rallies for the common man!
The problem with the watermelon movement is that too many ignorant brain washed democrats keep eating them and make the rest of us have to deal with the rinds.
Shorter Karl Marx: To get to COMMUNISM, defined as ownership of ALL means of production by "the proletariat" one must necessarily begin with SOCIALISM, which is ownership of ALL means of production by ... the government. "Socialism" is a waystation on the road to communism in his (crackpot) theory. But in practise, once the government gets the power, the process ALWAYS stops, because those who control the government like having the power. That is why the politicians who campaign on "socialism" never, ever voluntarily give up the power thus acquired. (I challenge anyone to provide an example to the contrary.) As the man said, you can vote yourself into socialism (assuming you are stupid enough), but you have to shoot your way out.
I keep going back to Vladimir Lenin's definition of socialism as the most accurate one. Lenin said "Communism is the ideology. Socialism is the form of government."
This straw business is also called ‘virtue signaling’, or ‘wearing your religion on your sleeve’, because environmentalism is nothing but a pagan religion
The capture of the Environmental Movement by the hard Left (including Communists) has been known for over 50 years. Christian writer and philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer wrote about it in his book "Pollution and the Death of Man" in 1970.
And it has been true for many years that most of the plastic waste in the oceans is coming from Asia. Here in the US, and in other developed countries, we have public waste collection--either by municipalities or by contractors working with them. Most Asian countries--and other Third-World societies--do not have public trash collection.
I REALLY LIKE the voluntary extinction movement. Perhaps we can get those who favor it to find death through eating loads of plastic straws. That would solve several problems: a)overpopulation, b) too many straws, c) improve the sanity levels of those countries that allow (and encourage) it, d) provide a meaningful feeling in death for environmental freaks, and, finally f) provide entertainment for the rest of us. Perhaps we could grind up the bodies of these environmental martyrs and feed them to a lot of one-celled aquatic beings that could repopulate the oceans. See, another benefit!!
Way, way back in University, while taking Environmental Physiology (a Desert Rat with a cold is an animal with a problem? Discuss!) our Prof asked us to read ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson!
Every broad in the class couldn’t discuss it without bursting into tears, the guys all thought it was hilarious!
You keep saying that dear fearless leader. But since my name is mad dog, do you think I give a rat's rump about being popular? The only things that I really care about is being accurate, terse, and, as much as possible, outdoors.
Disposable diapers are a far bigger problem than straws. They should be banned, and only washable cotton diapers should be allowed. They would be a small inconvenience for the benefit of the ecology. The signal that the switch had been made would appear publicly by women who forgot they had diaper pins attached to the front of their clothes.
How about plastic doggie poop bags? I have three dogs, and I’m taking care of two more. I disposed of five bags this morning. Probably be five more by tonight. That’s ten a day, maybe 3,000 a year, conservatively. Perhaps I should suggest this solution to Karen Basura to solve the homeless poop problem, and see what NPR says about it!
Math is hard. I generally enjoy Judge Willet, but his belief that his sister walked 250,000 miles during her career as a waitress is nuts--you'd have to walk 18 miles a day, 250 days a year, for 55 years to reach 250,000 miles. Just for reference, 10,000 steps is just over 4 miles.
While the number may be a little inflated his point is spot on. I put a tracking collar on my Springer and went for a walk. I walked about two miles but the tracker showed the dog had walked twice as far. Don’t underestimate a good waitresses ability to rack up the miles in an eight hour shift in a cafe that is always understaffed. Not many overweight waitresses out there for a reason.
In college I worked as a waitress in a restaurant which was a city block long from the front door to the back door of the kitchen. If I was working a station at the front and a diner asked for extra salad dressing, it was a two block walk to get it to the customer. I never did the math, but I remember how exhausted I was at the end of a shift.
Communism is not an economic plan. It is a control system. Plastic-straw bans, drive-through crackdowns, minimum-wage mandates, tip games, and anti-business rules all move in the same direction: harass the small operator, squeeze the franchisee, punish the restaurant owner, and make middle-class independence harder to sustain. The kulak is always the target. Today he owns a diner, a burger joint, a truck-stop counter, or an HVAC shop instead of a farm. The machine hates him because he feeds families without permission. The plastic straw man argument was never about plastic. It was about power.
Straws? How about plastic bags at the grocery store checkout? 12 States have banned that despite 80% (my estimate) of what you buy is wrapped in plastic. Meat, vegetables, dairy all packaged in plastic. “I have one word for you, son. Plastic.”
Here too. 🙄
The other hilarious thing about that is that the left in the seventies wanted to ban paper bags because they were "killing the trees."
I often tell the checkout kids about that. Some of them even listen.
Let's not forget that paper bags were implemented because the old reusable bags were a major source of mold and bacteria.
Oh I'm sure they are!
But so is my garden (mold tends to collect on my mulch and bacteria, plenty), so it doesn't bother me. I live outside in every possible weather... Hand washing and a boatload of Vitamin D keeps me from getting sick.
And whenever one of the resuable plastic bags gets visibly stained, out it goes.
All of my brain space that could be devoted to worry over germs is devoted to fighting against Communism and arthritis. I was like this before Coup-VID 19(84) and even more so ever since...
Coup-VID. I am so stealing that!
Thanks. I had lots of down time during that debacle to come up with nicknames. I also liked other people’s: WuFlu is a good one for example.
Do you tell them trees are a renewable resource?
Nope (though they are and could be even in CA without NewScum and the left).
I just say the bags are a silly fad.
Young lefty brains can sometimes be subtlely penetrated by an oblique approach ("Hmm... Am I silly?). Head-on ignites their mind virus and communication shuts off.
The mention of micro-plastics burns my biscuits. Why can’t “the science” leave us alone to live in peace? No. These control freaks (commies if you like) insist that my every waking moment I must live in fear of everything around me—what I eat or don’t eat, how much sleep I get, how much I exercise or don’t, what foods I buy: organic or not, air pollution, SSRIs in our water supply, the fear of cancer or Alzheimer’s, and now how having microplastics in my body predisposes me to major health issues.
After the scamdemic lies and manipulations, I refuse to play the fear games “the science” promotes. Even before, I was always wary of “experts” especially in the medical field. Now I’m done. After all, I’m not getting off this planet alive anyway. I can choose to think for myself and live free.
Wish that I had the choice. Our former demonicrat mayor banned plastic bags in grocery stores in our city. But you can still get a plastic bag in a drugstore. Go figure.
Btw the plastic that items are wrapped in is useful too. It protects my food from the bacteria that is undoubtedly lurking in the small collection of sturdy plastic tote bags I've ended up buying and reusing endlessly.
They live in my car along with all the plant debris from my gardening adventures.
Plastic is simply a godsent invention - always has been.
That sounds exactly like the clown show in NYC some years back when the mayor banned “Big Gulps” from some, but not all stores. The bodegas had different restrictions than street vendors, etc.
I think it was mayor “doomberg”.
He said that 20 ounce soft drinks were banned, so people started buying two twelve ounce soft drinks instead.
I do seem to remember he thought he was going to cure obesity by force...
In my gradually turning purple blueMA town they even got the drugstores - (smaller) paper bags there.
And CVS wastes even more paper with their endless receipts.
I do my best to avoid CVS. Even with all the coupons they send me - Like 40% off your order, $5 off one item, etc - they are considerably more expensive than the supermarkets or online markets like Iherb or Vitacost. Then when you buy that one item at CVS, you get a 2-foot long receipt with a whole bunch of coupons to try to get you to come back.
So true.
And that entire set of receipts seems to expire in, oh, about half an hour...
"Mrs Robinson, you're trying to seduce me"
It is too bad that the average Joe Bagadoughnuts is so malinformed that he believes the commiecrats propaganda. The left wants us to be, essentially slaves to their system to pay for their nose-in-the-air way of life. We need to push back wherever we can.
Ditto Islam
But think of all the savings associated with communism, you don't need million square foot stores, a simple building the size of a small van with two empty shelves will suffice. Retail theft rates fall to zero when there's nothing to steal as well. That frees up prison space that is desperately needed to house people who insist on using their brains.
Meanwhile, ALL of America's trash today is sent to the landfill/dump in PLASTIC bags. It's a requirement in most municipalities. Are we cuckoo or what?
Richard, this is an excellent summation. Thank you. Your ability as a writer compares with Don. Wonderful for you to be among us and take the time to write useful information.
Ok. So power to the people... then, why not straws? Just a straw
In the wind.
After Pittsburgh voluntarily cleaned itself in the 1960s without a dime from government, can anyone recall an environmental cause with any legitimacy? They are invented accounts combining the appearance of waste, selfish over use, and convenience as guilt to control and destroy.
I may use 1.6 plastic straws a year. But you know who uses a lot of them? All those leftists clogging up the Starbucks drive through getting their “coffee” that is really a modified milkshake with a splash of coffee to make it official. And most of those are obese women.
Happy Monday.
Look at the way the leftists have designated Rachel Carson as a Mother Theresa-type saint for banning DDT. The claim it was making eagles extinct was a lie, and banning DDT has resulted in more than 100 million needless deaths from malaria in Africa. But everywhere you go all you see are Rachel Carson nature preserves, Rachel Carson this or that. And Pittsburgh even has a bridge named after her. She's another witch they worship just like Margaret Sanger.
Yes, I forgot about the DDT scare campaign. It was a good chemical, and as I recall, it was said you could eat it without harm - but they suggested people not do that.
Why weren’t they concerned over Agent Orange in Vietnam? Many lives were ruined with the government ignoring the damage to the soldiers.
I'm sure you know the answer to that, Shrugged.
The left hates soldiers.
Plus they're a group of captive guinea pigs for government experimentation.
We used to chase behind the DDT trucks in the alleys in W.Va...my sister's name to this day is DeeDee (Elizabeth Ann)! We're both in our 80s.
And those obese women in the drive-through have no clue about the causes of their obesity.
To be honest, when I ordered a coffee from Starbucks it always included expresso and it never came with a straw…their cup tops aren’t built for straws. Btw, I’m a card carrying conservative but I love Starbucks coffees.
Oh, but the lid of your cup is made from plastic! (Funny how the 20 something latte drinkers don’t care about those lids.)
Bingo!
To each his/her own.
I see many high-domed clear plastic lids on their “coffee” drinks to accommodate 3 inches of whipped cream or foam - all with a plastic straw sticking out the top and most being carried by a blue-haired woman.
Yes, I am stereotyping, but unlike the leftist sociologist who condemn stereotyping, they are accurate aggregate templates or models of culture and society. They are organic descriptions of peoples’ observations.
Yes, and for a long time, Starbucks plastic cups were not made of #1 or #2 plastic, which is recyclable, but #5 plastic, which is NOT recyclable. #5 is stronger than #1 or #2, so that is likely why Starbucks used it. But for YEARS, that was a HUGE number of non-recyclable plastic cups being put into the world by Starbucks. A HUGE hypocrisy for liberals to never called them out on it.
I think the last time I used a straw was in kindergarten. Always thought it seemed kind of juvenile. The exception is when you are laying in a hospital bed and want to drink something. Guess they have a purpose in that case.
It depends who they’re stereotyping
Roast level preference cuts across all political divides.
I drank CharBucks for a while because the handful of conservatives in my previous town all hung out there, and we would make fun of the one or two local lefty politicians who came in.
But I realized I liked at least medium roast, and eventually found a fabulous light roast made by veteran-owned USA-made Warpath Coffee - dark chocolate flavor. It's one of those things where I do my best to ignore the extra expense coz it's SO worth it.
I hate the stuff; tastes burnt. If you can find A Coffee Bean in your area, far superior.
The last time I remember needing a straw was sixty years ago. We only had one six pack between three or four of us teenagers so we sipped beer through a straw believing we could get a buzz off of the bubbles. Can't remember if it worked or not... That being said, I wonder what the Trumpster will do today.....
I have used straws in restaurants for decades because I trust a wrapped disposable straw for cleanliness as opposed to tumblers washed in a comercial dishwasher.
Ever check the temperature of the hot water in those machines? Hot enough to take the hide off your hand in a second. I remember basic training in the Army. We had to stop using the machines when on Kip because they got so hot that people were getting severe burns from them. Guess no one knew how to adjust the water temp just like no one knew how to make the potato peeling machine work correctly. Ah, great times.
If you can't remember is a pretty good indication that it actually did work!
Methinks that an obvious failure with the environmentalists is that they chose as a leader one of the very dumbest men on the planet… Algore (as my hero Rush Limbaugh would pronounce his name.)
Ignorant, yes. But he saw that celebrity and the right cause could make you a lot of money. Guess that makes him a capitalist of sorts, albiet the leftist version of it.
As stupid as he is, he was the carnival barker or snake oil salesman of all time! His Chicago Carbon Capture Credit scheme was absurdly ingenious and that is where he made his fortune. And he also sold his loser Current TV to Al Jazeera. And his family made their fortune from Occidental Oil but Al wanted to shut the industry down? He is evidence that if he can make it in America anyone can.
The key point, IMHO, is that he always good pay for smart advisors. And he certainly benefited from good advice. He’s still a low life scum bucket…
Good point, but I would argue that dating to his army days as a clerk-typist (no leader would subject himself to being a typist) I would say he never constructed the words, he only typed them. And, he’s an all-time douchebag.
Got to disagree on Al Gore. He is not dumb at all, he was very smart. And in the beginning, very sincere. He recognized the importance of caring for the earth early on and publicized that need. I really liked his first book, "Earth in the Balance". I also voted for him for President, over George Bush, who was indeed dumb.
Later, Al Gore deteriorated, and became, as people sometimes do, "caricatures of themselves". The "noble environmentalist" title went to his head, and he lost touch with reality, going deep into climate change, and being willing to lie ("exaggerate") in order to "protect" the Earth.
In England, they called Gore out on the movie version of "An Inconvenient Truth" for actually including UNtruths. Gore ADMITTED in Court he had exaggerated, but said it was "for a good cause" to make people pay attention. But England said the movie couldn't be shown unless it was corrected, and Gore did indeed make the changes for the version of the movie shown in England. (Of course, this was England a couple decades ago, not the England it is today.)
Thats an interesting comment. Especially your opinion of Bush. I didn't see GW as dumb, just way over his head as POTUS. Some would call him lazy as well snd too eager to let others take the lead on an issue he should have pushed. His biggest mistake was Cheney but I dont think he had any choice on staff selection. GW came with a lot of baggage and that baggage was all self-earned. I met Gore once and immediately disliked him. Likely he felt the same about me.
Yes, my caveat is that the "early"/"young" version of Al Gore had some good qualities. And it could be that Bush was smarter than he seemed. He was definitely not very articulate, so that may have made him seem less intelligent.
I guess all our leaders are just people, with strengths and weaknesses. But Trump is exceptional, in that his strengths are really awesome and well developed, and he has mitigated his weaknesses to some extent. Trump is in truth a "Very Stable Genius".
Agree about DJT 100%!
And I will forever be impressed by GW’s immediate reaction to 9-11! He was magnificent.
Except for shipping the Saudi big shots over here back to their country secretly, and claiming islam is a religion of peace.
Think GW was trying to allay anti-Muslim sentiment while encouraging Muslims to actually be peaceful. No one who has ever read history, and seen Islam, believes all Muslims are peaceful. I put the number at 50%
Too bad DJT doesn’t have GWs kinder, less attacking personality at times. But as you say, at end if day they are just human like the rest of (most) of us.
Exactly.
I was once given a going-away placard that is far more appropriate to Trump. It read, “Humility is not one of my faults; but if I had one, that would be it.”
I thank God every day for the imperfect specimen that is DJT.
Love that!
If he was, it was a big fail.
You actually believe people can disagree? 😀I’m shocked!
Ever since the Marine Corps taught me to march, I have thought going in a different direction required a mass change. Algore was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, has always had smart advisors (and ghost writers), has never let himself be original. Plus, he’s a physical coward.
Most of that applied to GW as well. He wasnt a coward though, just lazy.
Agree 100%! Both Bushes had not a drop of moral principles (I voted for them 4 times… having considered the alternatives.) Both were decent men and polite to a fault. Neither knew ANYTHING about the lives of real Americans (those not born into generational wealth) and neither had any strong political principles. But they were not the depths of American society… they left that to Obama/Biden!
Around the same time there was a true environmentalist called Dixie Lee Ray who called out the climate change scam right from the start. I remember reading a book she wrote.
ManBearPig
And I thought that was the only time Gore was being truthful!😬
I think Rush pronounced it like "Owlgore". The irony about Gore is that they portrayed him as a genius and George W. as a dunce. But, Gore dropped out of Vanderbilt University for graduate studies in religion and law while George W. is the 1st president with a MBA.
In Economics I believe!
I bow to your clearly superior linguistic skills!
Anyone (except TeaPartyGal) claiming Owlgore to be smart is themself terminally stupid.
I seem to remember the great Rush Limbaugh commenting on the Sheryl Crowe “one TP square” thing. It was hilarious. Wish I could remember quotes.
I remember that some guy called in and tried to give a description of how to use only one square. It was pretty gross and Rush cut him off before he got to the punch line. Rush was hilarious. And right.
What Sheryl crow used one TP square to remedy, men use zero, because she could only have been referring to peeing. If she regularly uses one tissue square for #2, then her diet consists of corrugated cardboard.
Sounds like you just can't quite put your finger on it!
"Communism is not about economics; it is about controlling people."
THE perfect motto for Republicans in the upcoming midterm election.
Unfortunately the only message Republicans ever put forth is "Vote for us because we're not Democrats." Do the voters want Bud Lite or Miller Lite? What does someone like John Thune stand for, or even claim to stand for?
Agreed. And I live in Virginia, God forbid. Talk about gutless wonders; the Republican party here is the poster child for the weak-kneed totem.
When the Israelis booby-trapped all the pagers and blew off the terrorists' family jewels, I told my best friend that, "Well, they could always emigrate here as Republicans."
Many of the worst RINOs are indeed in the blue states.
(Speaking from experience here in blueMA.)
However, the conservative end of the R party in MA is pushing back on them _hard_ with this year's slate, especially Mike Minogue.
If anyone here is disaffected with Mass RINO's, please vote against RINO Brian Shortsleeve on Sept 2. Minogue could pull off an upset against Maura Healey.
I always think of Virginia politics like pearl clutching country club ladies. They need to get rid of the fundraiser by rich R's and do rallies for the common man!
LOL, but no.
Boy, ain't that the truth!
The problem with the watermelon movement is that too many ignorant brain washed democrats keep eating them and make the rest of us have to deal with the rinds.
Shorter Karl Marx: To get to COMMUNISM, defined as ownership of ALL means of production by "the proletariat" one must necessarily begin with SOCIALISM, which is ownership of ALL means of production by ... the government. "Socialism" is a waystation on the road to communism in his (crackpot) theory. But in practise, once the government gets the power, the process ALWAYS stops, because those who control the government like having the power. That is why the politicians who campaign on "socialism" never, ever voluntarily give up the power thus acquired. (I challenge anyone to provide an example to the contrary.) As the man said, you can vote yourself into socialism (assuming you are stupid enough), but you have to shoot your way out.
I keep going back to Vladimir Lenin's definition of socialism as the most accurate one. Lenin said "Communism is the ideology. Socialism is the form of government."
They are one and the same.
This straw business is also called ‘virtue signaling’, or ‘wearing your religion on your sleeve’, because environmentalism is nothing but a pagan religion
Sheryl Crow's was too obvious,. Please. 'Eating bugs'? OMG! Have they lost their freakin' minds?
Yes and No to your question. Yes, they have lost their minds, but no - they only plan for us to eat the bugs as they most certainly won't!
The capture of the Environmental Movement by the hard Left (including Communists) has been known for over 50 years. Christian writer and philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer wrote about it in his book "Pollution and the Death of Man" in 1970.
And it has been true for many years that most of the plastic waste in the oceans is coming from Asia. Here in the US, and in other developed countries, we have public waste collection--either by municipalities or by contractors working with them. Most Asian countries--and other Third-World societies--do not have public trash collection.
The mafia figured out that waste management was an essential forever function of society, and a great laundromat for cash, and bodies.
I REALLY LIKE the voluntary extinction movement. Perhaps we can get those who favor it to find death through eating loads of plastic straws. That would solve several problems: a)overpopulation, b) too many straws, c) improve the sanity levels of those countries that allow (and encourage) it, d) provide a meaningful feeling in death for environmental freaks, and, finally f) provide entertainment for the rest of us. Perhaps we could grind up the bodies of these environmental martyrs and feed them to a lot of one-celled aquatic beings that could repopulate the oceans. See, another benefit!!
Way, way back in University, while taking Environmental Physiology (a Desert Rat with a cold is an animal with a problem? Discuss!) our Prof asked us to read ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson!
Every broad in the class couldn’t discuss it without bursting into tears, the guys all thought it was hilarious!
Does that factoid feed into this discussion?
You’re GD right it does!
Have I finally made it to the ultimate goal of my life which is to be the first commenter on Don's sub stack? We will see. Later Gators.
The most popular get on top
You keep saying that dear fearless leader. But since my name is mad dog, do you think I give a rat's rump about being popular? The only things that I really care about is being accurate, terse, and, as much as possible, outdoors.
You gotta get on it early dog
second place ain't all bad maddog.
Yeah, but if you're not the leader and are always following, the view never changes.
Disposable diapers are a far bigger problem than straws. They should be banned, and only washable cotton diapers should be allowed. They would be a small inconvenience for the benefit of the ecology. The signal that the switch had been made would appear publicly by women who forgot they had diaper pins attached to the front of their clothes.
Pampers not my straw- darn it!
How about plastic doggie poop bags? I have three dogs, and I’m taking care of two more. I disposed of five bags this morning. Probably be five more by tonight. That’s ten a day, maybe 3,000 a year, conservatively. Perhaps I should suggest this solution to Karen Basura to solve the homeless poop problem, and see what NPR says about it!
You my friend have created more shovel ready jobs than Obama ever did
Just tell that to all the tired moms. I remember cloth diapers! Hard.
Math is hard. I generally enjoy Judge Willet, but his belief that his sister walked 250,000 miles during her career as a waitress is nuts--you'd have to walk 18 miles a day, 250 days a year, for 55 years to reach 250,000 miles. Just for reference, 10,000 steps is just over 4 miles.
While the number may be a little inflated his point is spot on. I put a tracking collar on my Springer and went for a walk. I walked about two miles but the tracker showed the dog had walked twice as far. Don’t underestimate a good waitresses ability to rack up the miles in an eight hour shift in a cafe that is always understaffed. Not many overweight waitresses out there for a reason.
In college I worked as a waitress in a restaurant which was a city block long from the front door to the back door of the kitchen. If I was working a station at the front and a diner asked for extra salad dressing, it was a two block walk to get it to the customer. I never did the math, but I remember how exhausted I was at the end of a shift.
A health club before there were health clubs. I still marvel at how fast a good waitress is in a cafe with minimal staff.