Weekend Open Thread
Folks that push socialism, communism, progressive ideology, etc., generally lack understanding of the economy, human nature, history, etc. Many progressives think that they could vote for politicians who would spend more money to solve problems. However, they seem to be oblivious about the flow of money that the government receives. For example, they think that the rich and super rich have unlimited money. If the rich would simply pay their fair share of the taxes, more socialist programs could be funded. This is a part of the reason why they lend themselves to being made into a meme. Enjoy your weekend.
Category: Open thread
First!
The Trappings of Power are hereby conveyed to CW for His One (1) ONE!!!!! Second Victory. Rule well, My Liege. Enjoy a Rat of The Kong!
Cong of the Rats!
Wear the crown and carry the scepter
Are we sure it is REALLY “auto corrects”?
Congo:
I believe those are “conga” rats.
Finishing the year on a high note. Congratulations on your coup.
SEVENTY !!! First!!!!!’
Unravel completely out of the zone have no idea practically what time or day it is and thought I would check media which TAH is part of my go to and realized it was Friday well that was yesterday. It’s now Saturday happy New Year’s Eve eve. I love you all your bunch of shit birds.
FIRST!??
First
Damn! Second? Third?
Fifth!
Back on the throne!!! And I get the throne for the last WOT in 2023! Many thanks to the King for maintaining a proper throne room … and I hereby order the best in food and drink to all! To wrap up the year, here’s the final 2023 trivia column … but never fear. I have a long list of them ready for 2024 standing by!
DID YOU KNOW…?
Did a popular musician almost cause a record label to sue itself?
By Commissioner Wretched
didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
Well, will you look at that? We made it to the end of another year!
The next time we get together in this space, it will be 2024 … and I’m still waiting for the flying cars and robot servants we were promised in all those old sci-fi shows back in the ‘60s.
I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very happy and prosperous New Year. I hope 2023 was all you wanted it to be, and that 2024 is everything and then some!
Some last trivial thoughts for 2023 are here, and I’ll share them with you now. Happy New Year, everybody!
Did you know …
… one of the most popular restaurant chains in the United States began in Georgia? The people who have never eaten at a Waffle House™ are few and far between, at least in my experience. The chain began in September of 1955 in Avondale Estates, Georgia, started by Joe Rogers, Sr. (1919-2017) and Tom Forkner (1918-2017). The first-ever Waffle House is no longer a restaurant, but a museum to the chain, filled with memorabilia. Additional trivia note: Waffle House restaurants are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and their status is actually part of FEMA disaster coding. If a Waffle House is closed because of severe weather or other disaster, you know things are bad. (The food is good, if you ask me – which you didn’t, but it’s my column, so I get to say that.)
… you may suffer from omphalophobia? If you do, don’t go to the beach. That’s the fear of belly buttons. (A navel – er, novel thought, eh?)
… only one natural lake on Earth drains into two oceans? Isa Lake, in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, has two streams that drain out, one to the east and one to the west. Both streams make their way into river systems that eventually drain out into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
… a credit report and a credit score are not the same thing? Your credit report shows your history of using credit, including opened and closed accounts, payment history, credit limits, and so on. Your credit score, on the other hand, is based on that information, compiled by an industry-secret method, and ranges from 300 to 850. (So they don’t have negative numbers after all? I need to talk to that person at the bank, then …)
… woolly mammoths still existed when the Egyptian pyramids were being built? Scientific evidence points to the existence of a small population of the huge, furry elephant-like animals (now extinct) living in Siberia while the Pyramids at Giza were being constructed. (A mammoth undertaking.)
My friends and I used to hike in Yellowstone a lot, had a tradition every time we crossed the continental divide known as “pissing in both oceans”.
… a musician almost caused a record label to sue itself? In 1956, Buddy Holly (1936-1959) went into the studio to record what would become his biggest hit record, “That’ll Be the Day.” But the recording session was not good and the resultant record was hated by Holly and by his label, Decca Records, who decided to lock it away. Holly wanted to get that song out, however, knowing it would be a hit, but Decca told him in no uncertain terms not to even try recording it with another label, as – by contract – they owned the song. So Holly went to a small New Mexico studio on his own, recorded the song again (this time in an acceptable version), and took it to Brunswick Records to release. Decca executives were furious and were preparing a lawsuit with they were stopped cold in their tracks. Brunswick Records, they learned, was a subsidiary of – you guessed it – Decca. Had the lawsuit proceeded, Decca would have been essentially suing itself. Additional trivia note: To show how astute the executives at Decca were, six years later they turned down signing a guitar group from England called The Beatles. (A record label suing itself … that’ll be the day.)
… astronauts can have some pretty morbid thoughts? For instance, as he was awaiting launch as the first American in space in 1961, Alan Shepard (1923-1998) said that the one thought that kept going through his mind was, “Every part of this ship was built by the lowest bidder.” (Make of that what you will.)
Reminds me of when John Fogarty was sued…the company that bought the Credence catalogue accused him of using material from “Run Through the Jungle” in his later solo cut “Old Man Down the Road.” He was found not guilty…but has to be one of the few musicians sued for their own material. Me, hear both songs and think the two songs sound nothing alike
… lobsters are pretty fast? Underwater, they can move up to 25 feet per second. (Especially if they’re around a lobster trap.)
… some people in western China put salt instead of sugar into their tea? (Hey, whatever floats your boat – or flavors your tea, in this case.)
… most people don’t know what a widely-used acronym stands for? Your cell phone has a SIM card in it, most likely, but you may not know what SIM stands for. Well, seek no further, I’m here to inform you. SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module. The card allows your phone to connect to the phone company’s computer network. (One of the things I love about this job is learning cool stuff like this.)
… an ostrich egg is about 2,000 times larger than a hummingbird egg? (Imagine how many hummingbird eggs it would take to make a proper omelet. Go ahead and imagine it.)
Neighbor had ostriches
One egg scrambled to make a weeks worth of eating
A single ostrich egg has the same amount of egg as 24 hen eggs. That is one big egg.
Sounds like one of those eggs could make one hell of a Denver Omelet!
Or an omelet the size of Denver!
… more than one species of hyena exists in the world? In fact, there are four. The largest in number and most abundant species is the spotted hyena, with which most of us are familiar. But there are also the brown hyena, the striped hyena, and the aardwolf. (They’re laughing about it now.)
… pigs are more reliable than dogs at sniffing out gunpowder, explosives and land mines? (They do a bang-up job, don’t they?)
… ornithologists have a recommended depth for water in a bird bath? According to the Audubon Society of America, two and a half inches is the prime depth for bird baths. Less than that makes it hard for the bird to bathe; more than that makes the bird afraid. (“It’s too shallow!” “It’s too deep!” “It’s just right.” - Goldilocks if she were a bird.)
Now … you know!
My Man, CW. You certainly had a full menu of trivia selections today…An All Star Cast was scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked. Salty as grilled country ham, and sweeter than Iced Tea. You never even waffled in the presentation. You da Man! In my many travels I’ve eaten at a bunch of WHs, had met Joe and Tom back yonder, very down to earth, personable Gentlemen of The Old School Southern Type. Used to be fairly easy to insure one got good food and service was to stop by one and eat. Now days?…not so much. Joe and Tom…weep.
Happy New Year to you, too, Good Sir, and we look forward to more trivia in the future (and Book Three (3) from The Other Mr. Lee).
The third Ryan Lee adventure is still a work in progress. But I assure you, it will (hopefully) be worth the wait. A second trivia book is also in the beginning stages … who knows what else 2024 will bring? Thanks so much for your support and friendship, King!
I’m still interested in a Kindle version of your books.
Been working on that …
Or, as has been otherwise said:
Or this
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/millions-ukrainians-about-see-salaries-pensions-paused-western-aid-dries
Not to mention “woke” folk that even the Chicoms don’t like:
White men may be terrorists, but pasty white soi boys are as menacing as a threat to cometh from Dallas Wittgenfeld.
Up until you mentioned him just now, I had completely forgotten about that washed-out damn thing!
Cong Rats to CW.
Present sorta
Details at 1900-ish Zulu
Sheesh
0100-ish Zulu.
Cut a corner off my Totin’ Chip.
Totin’ Chip… takes me back to Treasure Mountain scout camp.
Update
Ruined the best truck I ever owned dropping it on a culvert. Found a inferior but acceptable replacement, but now back in debt (deeper).
Some bugs passing through the compound, but everyone’s ok.
Got a guitar in the shop today – a knock-off repro of a Gene Simmons axe, for a 10-year old for Christmas.
From China.
Shoddiest work I’ve ever seen. Looks good, but the cable cannot plug into the jack. Some sharp edges that need filed down. etc.
Felt bad for the Dad trying to make his kids Christmas wish come true.
We’ll get it working right, but those slave laborers are not reliable. Never have been.
God bless you all. Stay safe this New Years, and God willing I’ll see you on the other side of the changeover.
From the give it a try file: I have found the answer to, “Thank you for your service.” Lately, I’ve been saying, “Uh yeah, thanks, I had fun.” The looks I get are priceless.
The Stars and Stripes did a story about the Veteran History Project…and states “Oral History Project Collects ‘Ground Truth’ Memories Of The Veterans Who Fought America’s Wars”
https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2023-12-27/personal-stories-veterans-history-project-12480142.html
Ground Truth? Not 100% accurate.
Check out this Stolen Valor article about the Veteran History Project:
“Marshall’s Military Fictions Prompt Wider Probe Of Veterans History Project”
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/2007/09/28/marshall-s-military-fictions-prompt/52783586007/
Then there is this Phony who went to his grave claiming Medal of Honor, DSC, Silver Star, PHs, Darby RANGERS, MSG Status, etc. One cal listen to the video at the link.
He never received ANY Valor Awards. Never was a RANGER, Never Airborne Qualified, never was a MSG.
He was discharged as an E1…during WW2, made numerous sick call visits to the 5th Army Hospital in Italy and was officially diagnosed as having Psychoneurosis, Anxiety, Hypochondriasis as well as malingering, shirking responsibilities on being a Soldier in the US Army:
https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.92663/
Well, if it was his ass Patton slapped, that might be something:
Dammit. Ya beat me to it.
None of this is a surprise. Bernath participated in this oral history project and I seem to remember that Jonn contacted the Library of Congress to alert them about Bernath’s various and sundry phony claims and they refused to do anything about it. 🤬
Yep. IIRC, Bernasty also claimed he was exposed to Agent Orange on his aircraft carrier, which is absurd, unless one wants to claim the defoliant was sprayed by aircraft launched from a CVA.
USS Okinawa LPH 3 was anchored in Danag Harbor and was taking on drinking water from a barge and there was agent orange in with the drinking water. Over a hundred crew members now have an agent orange issue. This is from a former cre member whom I keep in contact with.
Maybe, but there weren’t any CVA’s anchored in Da Nang. They were at sea on Yankee Station. Bernasty spent his RVN tour at sea.
And Bernath was getting his ass worked by a double-ended Phildo from the False Commander “Phony” Phil Monkress (CEO of All Points Logistics).
Did he claim to have been “prison gay” in the same camp Rambo escaped from in ’71? That might be believable.
Goldbricking Dad called it.
ninja,
The hair over there figured out
that he could search the Project for “Navy SEAL”
and come up with a long list…. of PHONIES.
Not sure if other easily identified categories (like POW)
have been fully searched and checked out.
https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/?q=Navy+SEAL
😉😎
Sounds like a good reason to hoist some Yuengling!
As if we needed a reason. But if anybody asks, we now have one.
I have Shiner Boch on standby.
Occasionally see Yuengling but not last trip to HEB.
Has amputee and free home recipient “Christy Gardner”
ever been on the phony radar,
setting off the yellow flags,
or been verified?
Her military service stories vary by article and video.
US Army, after college, ok.
But injured by an IED by “locals” at the Korean DMZ?
Mesmells some boo shit here.
And depending on the YouTube video,
some of her military service claims have no legs.
Seems to be a whole lot of very vague, very sketchy stuff on her, according to a quick application of google-fu. IED? In 2006 Korea? I ain’t buyin’ it. But, it was a “sensitive” mission. Of course it was.
Much drinkin’ and gettin’ pronged at the Dragon Hill Lodge, perhaps? Hush-hush.
Had her legs pinned behind her ears like Bugs fuckin’ bunny.
No doubt.
“some of her military service claims have no legs”
Good one.
RGR 4-78,
Not many ways to mock an amputee, and get away with it.
That is, unless the amputee is not only short on limbs,
but also short on truth and facts.
The same shit comes out of a bull with 4 legs,
as a bull with only 3, or 2.
They can’t grow a larger tail, so some of them grow larger tales.
On station.
Anyone here in the area of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina?
Or having a vacay in Myrtle next week?
A veterans breakfast is now being arranged,
most likely for January 3, 2024,
most likely at the Veterans Cafe & Grille
3544 Northgate Dr
Myrtle Beach, SC 29588
Phony Rambo you know who will be discussed.
And, after breakfast,
a group of veterans may accept the public invitation
of the self proclaimed “HERO”
to “come to my front porch”.
Details to be posted here…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/therealteddydaniels
Recently found and verified self proclaimed “HERO” claim.
Yes, it’s another FAKE VOICE Donald Trump video.
This time, so Teddy can sell his $444 overpriced survival food buckets,
that can be found by the source manufacturer on sale for under $179.
This is HIS channel.
Unlisted video, that has over 600k views in 6 weeks,
achieved with paid “Sponsored Ads” on YouTube, FaceBook, and elsewhere.
UGH.
Shouldn’t this piss off every Trump voter and Trump fan?
Shouldn’t this piss off every veteran,
or at least every veteran that served honorably,
and is honest about his/her military service?
Shouldn’t this piss off every survivalist,
especially those who aren’t floating in scratch,
who realize they threw a precious fistful of dollars down the toilet?
A fistful of dollars at a conman,
who recently bought a Porsche, and lives in $400k+ digs?
Happy weekend!
Back when public schools were not wussified, i was shown a video of an American soldier using a flamethrower to clear a Japanese bunker, and one Japanese soldier stumbling out the door engulfed in flame.
Back when they didn’t try to sugarcoat war for elementary school students.
Exactly why and how history should be taught. Most of it ain’t pretty. Some smart guy said something about what happens when you don’t learn history.
Speaking of history..
https://theviewfromladylake.blogspot.com/2023/12/mid-day-military-insignifica.html
Saw the bulldozer-pushing-bodies-into-a-mass-grave scene in The World at War on PBS when it came out (got the nastiness of the Holocaust across even if it was the British burying dead people for health reasons because the German SS prisoners they had were dipsticks who couldn’t get it done). I was in Kindergarten. Not only can’t you even mention that to kids in school today because it’s “traumatic” to do in and of itself, but it’s hard to find not blurred-out in Google search and you can’t see Episode 20 of The World at War on YouTube without signing-in because of that.
The “don’t send me anything triggering” crowd is pro-Hamas lately, like folk point out here:
https://twitchy.com/amy-curtis/2023/12/31/hamas-atrocities-n2391209
https://youtu.be/97eFJBsC4Sc?si=PHsINBreKvR-3Mx2
Sorry, title of video:
Least Corrupt: Donald J. Trump-Part I
By Forgotten History
Amateur Historian,
This should help.
youtu dot be links do not expand here,
but youtube dot com links do.
Hey, appreciate. I Don’t know how to that.
Don’t feel bad, technology screws with me too.
Crap, responded before reading your full post. I’ll try that next time.
FIRST THIRTY SIXTH
Nobody thinks rich people have unlimited money, but at the risk of being labeled a commie,… yes, I think everyone should pay their taxes, including the rich. Is that somehow controversial now?
The ‘tax gap’ was $688B in 2021, it seems. Pretty sure that could fund a fuckton of things for the American people – or, hell, just pay down some of the national debt.
Salute!
People do think that the rich should pay a higher rate because they have more. Yeah, that’s an awesome incentive program.
LC: Nobody thinks rich people have unlimited money, I’ve argued against leftists for over 20 years, and have lost count of how many of them argued as if the rich did. This is the foundation for why I stated that they think that the rich and super rich have unlimited money. LC: but at the risk of being labeled a commie,… But at the risk of being subjected to a blistering fact check scrutiny… There, I fixed that for you. LC: I think everyone should pay their taxes, including the rich. Is that somehow controversial now? The argument is not on everyone paying their fair share, but on the nonsense, that I’ve argued against across these years, that the rich “are not” paying their fair share of taxes. The cold hard reality is that the rich and super rich not only pay the majority of the taxes that are collected by the government, they’re paying more than their fair share. See attached graphic. LC: The ‘tax gap’ was $688B in 2021, it seems. Like the rest of us, the rich and super rich are able to take legal deductions. They’re able to take more, just as a married couple with children could deduct more than a single person with no dependents, all other factors being equal. Even with these deductions, the rich are paying a lion’s share of the taxes. As the attached graphic shows, the top 25% of the income earners in this country pay 87% of the taxes collected. When you look at the top 50, that jumps to 97%. The bottom 50%, many of whom end up without tax liability, pay 3%. LC: Pretty sure that could fund a fuckton of things for the American people — or, hell, just pay down some of the national debt. This is what would earn you the “commie” label. The answer is not increased taxation, but cutting nonsense government initiatives and spending. No matter how you or others want to twist this, the rich earned their income. They would have to give up more of their earned income for nonsense progressive… Read more »
Greetings all, happy New Year and i award myself Honorary First once again.
((((OVER))))
Epstein’s list is still guarded more closely than US Government Classified Information.
Mice and rats still don’t understand why there is free cheese in front of them until the trap is sprung, the same with socialism and the stupid.
The False Commander “Phony” Phil Monkress (CEO of All-Points Logistics) is very similar in that he steals from American taxpayers based upon using his highly questionable and potentially felonious Native American, Navy SEAL and Law Enforcement claims to procure taxpayer-funded goverment contracts.
Not quite socialism, per se, but still the end result of enriching him and his nefarious staff (to include his new advisors) from the backs of hard-working Americans based on bullshit and false facts and promises.
I’ve heard rumor that he still blows winos behind bus stops for extra money.
To be in compliance with local regulations, he blows them for free, and they are encouraged to make a donation.
Phil Monkress’ New Years Resolution is to find another mentally unbalanced non debt paying alcoholic to put on the payroll who he can manipulate into going into a career suicide mission to defend Phil’s claims. Maybe he can find someone on MissingLinked.com.
Or a few of his new advisors.
And the Phildo knows where the meat pole goes….
In the American Taxpayer’s collective asshole!
For the navy people where was this photo taken
According to some, it’s air force enlisted housing.
Not navy, but I’m going to guess Guam.
Not Navy but I’ve been very close to that location quite a few times. I’ve got a HSC-85 coin somewhere around here.
One clue
It’s somewhere on this the west coast
OK, I’ll solve the puzzle.
Navy Lodge North Island (NASNI), but we most often stayed at Navy Lodge San Diego on 28th St/Harbor Drive. Beautiful views of Barrio Logan and the shipyard 😐.
Apropos of nuttin’ but…
Plus…
I’m earning it every fuckin’ day!
Oh yeah. I’m usually a pretty easy going guy, but, I’m crazy as hell so yeah, I can see myself as that “crazy old fucker.”
Before the month ends, I figured I mention this tibit.
35 years ago in Dec 88 the remains of LCpl Jason Rother, the Marine left behind during an Aug 88 exercise at 29 Palms, were found and recovered.
Damn, just damn…
As Trainers, we’re given the responsibility over our Trainees’ lives and welfare. It doesn’t matter if you’re a DS or DI, military school Instructor, or line NCO or officer. We preach accountability for a reason, and we should never take for granted the fact that everyone has simply gotten onboard trans or made movement back to base. Headcounts were mandatory when I was a DS, with “From Front to Rear, Count Off!” for formations, and “Count Off!” when on buses or cattle cars.
RIP, LCpl Rother, and know that you are not forgotten.
A late addition to the open thread
https://twitter.com/i/status/1669760537113100290
ROFLOLMFAO!!
LMAO!
Top 100. Hack Stone would have checked in sooner, but he was busy the last few days placing flyers offering big discounts on outdated Red Hat Software on windshields at some of the less reputable shopping centers in the National Capital Region. For investors of the proud but humble woman owned business that sells outdated and overpriced Red Hat Software to the Federal Government, rest assured that despite Bidenomics, sales are holding steady at $0.00 annually. And we look forward to moving into our new world corporate headquarters on January 2, 2024.
If it’s too loud, you’re too old… well, not any more (AARP, y’all).
We lost Jerry Springer this year– moment of silence, please. (C’mon, we all had to deal with folk like he showed in the service.)