Weekend Open Thread
It appears that many on the left feel that Donald Trump is going to bring this country towards fascism and totalitarianism. Many assume that the censoring and “fact checking” being conducted are legitimate and prevent misinformation. Many truly believe that the right, specifically those who support Donald Trump, are a part of a cult, and that the latter doesn’t realize that they are “like” those Germans in 1930 Germany. Leftist blindness to reality also blinds them to the fact that they are what they accuse the right of being. Enjoy your weekend!
Category: Open thread
first
Well done, Toxie!
A Congolese Rat to my Man, Tox on his Photo Phinish. Nano seconds give me Sloppy Seconds. Well played Good Sir. The Crown, Trappings, Keys to The Throne Room.
Why thank you.
I shall be a benevolent dictator for the week.
(where do I send the crown out for proper sizing?)
I had to get the Royal Blacksmith (can we still say that?) to have it sized down to fit my pin head, Tox, after steali…err err, acquiring it from CW. Lois Lane told me he had been using it as a c*ck ring. No wonder she hangs out with him.
Lois wasn’t supposed to mention that ….
Lois Lips sink ships.
I’ll put myself in timeout.
Lois has been known to tell after a kiss.
well, last time I was sized for a hat (lo, too many years ago), I think it was 7 1/4. Is there enough material leftover in the crown to size it up that high? I don’t want a pipe stem to fall off my head.
Should be, Tox. When it was cut down from a 9 &6/9ths to a 6 &7/8ths there was a goodly amount of material of the Crown left. I checked with the Smith and what we thought was an indention from one of the Crown Jewels that might have fallen off was actually an indention from one of CW’s Jewels. When I axed Lois about it she just gave me her best Della Street smirk and said…”That question is incompetent, immaterial, irrelevant, and assumes facts not in evidence.”
I was watching a Perry Mason episode recently in which June Lockhart was the suspect. Don’t tell the Mrs, but, I fell immediately in lust. 60 years ago I wondered why these folks were thought to be so attractive; now I know.
You and me both, Dennis. Nothing like the 50s & 60s Glamour Girlz of Hollywood. Style and Class…the way a real woman should be. When I watch these old shows on MeTV I try to catch the title of the episode so I can look up these Ladies on the IMDB, to see what all they were in, what they did later, and where they are now. Surprisingly a number of them are still alive, they were Conservatives, and stayed married to the same husband.
I was born about thirty years too late for either, but my guilty pleasures were Gretchen Corbett from The Rockford Files and Cathy Baker from Hee Haw, followed by Randi Oakes of CHiPs.
Since it’s Pride Month, and I brought up CHiPs, I’ll give an honorable mention to Bruce Jenner as the guy who could never replace Erik Estrada. I’m sure there were some female fans of the show who swooned over both, never imagining that Bruce would one day become Caitlyn. Let’s hope Larry Wilcox never got the shaft…😈
As for Hee Haw; I’ll never get over Misty Rowe.
Goldie Hawn, Rowan and Martin Laugh in
I’ll see your Goldie Hawn and raise you one Dawn Wells in anything she was in.
Lauren Bacall in “To Have or Have Not”. Veronica Lake.
Dorothy Malone – for that matter, any girl in “The Big Sleep. Myrna Lopy. Myrna Loy. Myrna Loy (yes, she deserves three. Claudette Colbert. Ginger Rogers. The list goes on…
The stars aligned, and the planets smiled favorably on me for once.
TOP SHELF IMBIBABLES FOR ALL.
HOT DISHES ARE SERVED AT THE BANQUET TABLE
I’m 5’8″, I can’t reach the top shelf! Dammit!
I have an upper shelf grabber that I can loan you.
OR, a step ladder.
You choose.
I’m in a good mood right now
Cong Rats, Tox.
The rest of you miscreants have a very, very warped sense of humor. I laugh, but keep you away from Mrs. GB
FIRST!
second….by less than a second
Close, very close!
talk about a photo finish by a nose
Jimmy Durante would have beat you if noses are measuring sticks. Well, I assume e would anyway.
Everybody wants to get inta the act!
I’ll just assume the always late spot in the lineup.
Not me; Saturday is the only day that I have to sleep in. I’m not going to throw it away just to post on a message board.
This is Friday, unless Friday is your saturday.
Jose Ferrer may have beat him by a nose. At least in Cyrano.
Forgot about him.
Y’all must be seeing a timestamp that my browser doesn’t display. I just get round minutes, no fractions thereof.
*Maxwell Smart voice*
“Missed it by that much!”
Your imitation is spot on.
First!
Well, I tried … made it third. So near, and yet so far. Well, enough weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth … let’s do some trivia!
DID YOU KNOW…?
Was one of America’s Founding Fathers actually a British spy?
By Commissioner Wretched
didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
This is a special week for me, and it augurs of an even more special week next year.
Forty-nine years ago this week, I graduated from high school. Walking across the stage for Spencer High School in Columbus, Georgia, I had no idea what awaited me, but even if I did know, I’d have gone right ahead. The events of my youth have made me what I am today.
Boy, if that isn’t a loaded comment, I don’t know what is.
Looking forward to my high school class’ 50th reunion next year, and looking forward to you enjoying this week’s trivial collection!
Did you know …
… “Uncle Sam” may have been a real person? The roots of the iconic emblem of the United States can be traced back to the War of 1812, when a military supplier named Samuel Wilson (1766-1854) stenciled the letters “U.S.” on cases of meat rations he shipped to the Army. Though the “U.S.” meant United States, some thought it meant “Uncle Sam” Wilson, who was feeding the Army. The popular image of Uncle Sam – patriotic top hat, white goatee, etc. – didn’t surface until just before World War I, however. (But boy, when he showed up, he was ready!)
… it is possible to create an eight-word sentence using just one word? Before you go get the butterfly net to capture me, read on. A grammatically correct sentence in American English, the sentence “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” uses homonyms and homophones to say: “Bison from Buffalo, New York, who are bullied by other bison in their community, also happen to bully other bison in their community.” (Try it and see.)
… a species of lizard bears a striking resemblance to a comic superhero? The rock agama of Kenya has a unique color pattern of a red head and shoulders, with a blue body, legs and tail – almost exactly like the colors in the costume of the superhero Spider-Man. In fact, the resemblance is so uncanny that the lizard is popularly known as the Spider-Lizard. The rock agama can also change color, run on its hind legs, and climb walls easily. (What it can’t do, of course, is “spin a web any size, catching thieves just like flies.”)
… the ancient Egyptian word for “cat” was pronounced “meow”? The hieroglyphic symbol for cat was made up of three pictograms, pronounced in order “me-i-ow.” (Somehow, that makes sense to me.)
… one of the most beloved of America’s Founding Fathers was actually a British spy? Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was identified as Agent 72 and listed under the code name “Moses” in British files on the American War of Independence when those files were declassified in 2004. Franklin was probably the most intelligent of the Founding Fathers, and was the only one who had actually studied what America would need to become an independent nation – and one thing necessary, in his view, was becoming a maritime trading nation. Franklin understood that without maritime trade, the fledgling United States would not be able to financially sustain itself, so by spying for the British, he was able to negotiate the peace deal in the Treaty of Paris in 1783 that persuaded the Royal Navy to not blockade the country. (Ol’ Ben played both sides of the fence against each other and ended up on the $100 bill. Not bad, Ben, not bad at all.)
… the world’s most dangerous animal may not be what you think it is? The title of “most dangerous animal” depends on a lot of factors, of course. But if you ask me, the palm for demonstrating that status goes to the Bronx Zoo in New York. In 1963, the zoo installed an exhibit showing “the most dangerous animal in the world.” Zoo patrons who viewed the exhibit found themselves looking into a mirror. (Subtle. Very subtle.)
… the first Xerox™ photocopiers came equipped with tiny fire extinguishers? The Xerox 914, the first successful plain-paper copier introduced in 1959, tended to overheat when operating … so much so that the company began shipping fire extinguishers with the devices. (There’s room here for a line about hot copies, but I’m not going to do it.)
… the first time a bird and an airplane collided in flight was in 1905? Less than two years after the first flight of a heavier-than-air machine, one of its inventors, Orville Wright (1871-1948), collided with a bird in flight. The bird did not survive the encounter.
… the Grand Canyon in Arizona can hold about 900 trillion footballs? (Now that’s the kind of information we need to know!)
Orville Wright killed a bird 119 years ago, but Sully Sullivan flies into a goose and becomes a hero? I’m hoping Orville at least had the decency to honor his victim with a dying meal.
… the Internet may be bad for your brain? The research is in its early stages, but some researchers are claiming that the Internet overstimulates the part of the brain involved with temporary memory. That makes deep thinking and creativity more difficult. (The jokes do sometimes write themselves, don’t they?)
… someone on Earth reports seeing an unidentified flying object every three minutes? (I’m of the firm belief that aliens lock their doors when they fly past Earth.)
… the structure of your brain just changed? Every time you learn something new, scientists tell us, the physical structure of your brain changes just a bit. So by reading this, you changed the structure of your gray matter. (The amazing brain!)
… the Sun is very loud? Our parent star emits an incredible amount of sound waves. But you can’t hear them, because there is no air in which to carry the sound in space. (Who knew?)
… Earth is still in the ice age? Yeah, you might not agree, especially on a hot summer day. But technically, we are in an “interglacial period” in the Quaternary glaciation, a period which began about two million years ago. (So chill, everybody, chill.)
Now … you know!
Coupla lines from Old School Rock Bands had “Time waits for no one, not even you…” and “I got got got got no time…”
The meat packed by Sam was used in the ham & muthers C Rats.
Our very own Jeff LPH-3 can create a paragraph out of a sentence.
My final ex was of the lizard species. I knew cause she had snakes in her head.
From hieroglyphics to memes…and the cat is still indifferent.
Ben did a lot of “undercover” work in France, too.
The female of that species is the most dangerous.
Maybe it was photo copying all them hot bottoms that set the machines on fire?
Ya think the bird was trying to mate with the plane?
I sleep easier knowing how many footballs can fit in the canyon. Wonder how many fit in “Kelly’s Canyon.” Alaska Bob was unavailable for comment.
Lots of folks on the inherwebz are brain dead.
Lock their doors AND keep their eyes straight ahead.
Of all the things I lost I miss my mind most of all.
AOC better wear her earplugs when she takes the red eye flight to the Sun.
Our Ex-PH2 pointed out in several of her posts on the whole “Climate Change” scam that we were in an Ice Age. I did tell a buddy of mine that he needs to keep his hot wife away from the glaciers while they’re on their Alaska Cruise up there. (see what I did…there?)
Another fine job, CW. We Thank you.
Dig it, man!
Move right on up to the head of the class, Anon. I’ll help everyone out on the FIRST (ht2 Tox) one…We’ll dedicate this to OAM… Everybody “nose” I gots a thing for her. Suck it, Chimpy 😀
Gawd.
Never been to “class” reunion but the 50th came and went some years ago.
Worst years of my life were spent in public schools and I still hate the communist dullards who populated them.
Not even close. Hack just exited a SCIF to try to claim his First Post for the WOT, and once again he fell victim to a vast chicken wing conspiracy. At least he can take some consolation in know that Phil Monkress will be supporting the American warfighters by juggling balls this weekend, and the skies are safe since Daniel Bernath has not been cleared for takeoff.
Last I heard, Daniel Bernath was still maintaining -6 feet altitude and Phildo was still rumored to be blowing winos behind bus stops for spare change.
I thought he was doing that behind the dumpsters at truck stops.
Not first. Having a cold pint anyways.
Enjoy. What brew are you quaffing?
On a Dos Equis Lager kick presently. Might have an 805 or Barrio or Kona at the Legion after
Torpedo IPA. Not first but not because of it.
Congrats on your crown and I’ll have another.
Got some Copper Brothel Gringa Starr Mexican cream ale for later
I have a Guinness Extra Stout on reserve for laters.
Sadly no brews this weekend.. working security for local rodeo, and by the time we finish up, bed sounds better than a brew.. how sad.. lol
welp, 15 minutes late…Oh well….suck a fat one and happy Friday to all you Mutants.
I don’t believe we’ve had PETDRSN up at bat as Firstie of late so, as always, lord gently of us deplorables.
Cheers and see ya round the Campus!
It has been noted that one day there will be no WWII vets alive and that it will be a sad day. I agree; it will be sad indeed. Not to be flippant, but, the chances to get first hand accounts will be gone. There are books and recordings, of course, but the one on one conversations have always fascinated me.
The stories are not always true; however, allow me to take a second to remind the gentle reader, books about the myths, lies, and legends of the US Civil War are still available. The point is, I have enjoyed the stories and do not look forward to their end.
The spontaneous tellings are always the best. At a meet and greet, I noticed an old man who appeared ill at ease. I asked him if he was okay; apparently, something during the speeches set him off. He asked if I was a veteran and had I ever been to Italy. I said yes to being a veteran and no to having been in Italy. He unloaded on me every thing he thought about Italy, the Rapido River, and General Marcus Aurelius Clarkus. Okay…
Another time an old man was telling me about General Schwarzkopf and the time he spent in Tehran. Oh my goodness, this old man was talking about MG Schwarzkopf Sr and WWII not General Schwarzkopf Jr. Interesting stories…
One guy was dressed in his WWII uniform and was quite cross with me when I asked about his combat jump. That was the purpose of this meet and greet, to hear the stories. Grumpy old man…
One day a speaker at a dog & pony was going on about his unit’s activities in Lichtenstein during WWII. Several times he referred to Lichtenstein as a city in France. Maybe he was just bad at geography…or, maybe he meant Luxemburg, not a city in France either, but a very important place during the Battle of the Bulge.
Let’s cherish the WWII vets while we can. Let’s not wait too long to understand and draw strength from their experiences.
I grew up with them around. Always thought most adults were like them. Turned out, the Greatest Generation was special. Never see their world again.
Just found this. Or, how to arrive in style.
https://t.co/ITfNPXs7fO
Agreed. Once the last one is gone, D Day will rarely be mentioned until it fades into oblivion. I hope I’m wrong.
We cherish Dad’s stories of his, in his words, “all expenses paid walking tour of Europe. All I had to do was carry this machine gun and shoot it occasionally.”
Fuck Joe Biden. Out.
https://pjmedia.com/jon-del-arroz/2024/06/07/joe-biden-ruined-normandy-trip-for-thousands-of-young-americans-for-a-cynical-photo-op-n4929707
THE biggest POS to ever become POTUS.
Maybe EllCee can come here and tell us what a fine fellow Gropey is and how he really cares about us veterans and other citizens.
PRESENT AND UNACCOUNTABLE as I award myself yet another Honorary First.
((((OVER))))
Epstein’s list is still tightly more held by Biden and Company than TOP SECRET information they have possessed.
Epstein did not kill himself.
The Deep State is no Freedom-lover’s friend.
Anyone else come across news on Al Gore’s Amazing Internet that this week in Wilmington Delaware all of the banks ran out of $1 bills and all of the scheduled time off has be canceled at the Gentlemen’s Clubs around the Federal Courthouse?
Lousy tippers too. Imagine my surprise.
Present.
I got caught last Sunday night in a situation of my own making (as are most of my problems).
Had heart palpitations, called EMS.
(Because I am always harping to others about calling EMS if anything unusual is going on with one’s health).
The Paramedic & EMTs couldn’t find anything when they got to me, and all expressed envy at my BP readings. But offered to carry me to the ER if I wanted to go.
Am am also always harping at others to go to the friggin’ ER if something is up.
Ended up staying until Tuesday afternoon, feeling like I was stealing someone’s bed at the hospital.
And yes, I’ll be following up with a cardiologist and my PCP.
BUT if something is going on with your health, at least I can still with a clear conscious still say call EMS, go to the ER.
(I hate having to follow my own good advice.)
God bless you all, have a great weekend, and take care of your miscreant selves.
Good advice is to follow up like you said.
Best situation is to have a fellow vet neighbor checking on you
and you checking on him. I recently lost mine to a stroke after
many years of calling 911 for each other.
Viet of the Nam vet, he is sorely missed.
Sorry for your loss, and the loss of another Viet of the Nam vet.
I hope more folks are still collecting their stories. I’ve read some collections.
my condolences on your friends passing.
Best to follow up with issues of the heart. Seen too many people shrug it off. If you get winded walking, it’s the heart. You should be able to walk with endurance. If you can’t call the doctor, you’re in need of repairs. I got to the point I was winded walking to the mail box. After repairs I can go any distance. I thought it was just getting older, and slowing down. Yesterday I did 14,000 steps.
As a former EMT-B I fully agree.
My boss & his wife shrugged off her ear infection, and after her eardrum ruptured (Memorial Day) still did not go to the ER. Today they finally got a tube in to drain it.
Originally a viral infection, developed a bacterial infection with the rupture, and the swelling induced Bell’s Palsy. She is also temporarily deaf in that ear. The mother of two preschool children and three teenage girls who helps run the business.
She’s learning that she is not invincible – a hard lesson for any of us.
It’s just that taking ones own good advice is a bit difficult and humbling. >grin<
I went through hell for 20 years getting tested to find out what was wrong with me. Doctors thought I was making up my complaints of pain. Turned out I had Leukemia. Keep complaining if things aren’t right, it can take awhile to figure it out. Agent Orange followed me home!
Just don’t do it when you’re a Super-Duper Infantry Truper! I knew my second tour in TOG was going to be short within a few days of meeting my CO and 1SG. One Sunday, I was on Regimental Staff Duty. I started having chest pains and shortness of breath and thought about going to the ER, but didn’t want to abandon my post, and as anyone who’s been on Myer knows, there’s no on-post hospital, so it was either the civilian one in Arlington or the one on Fort Belvoir. The following day I rested up but still had shortness of breath. I reported to work Tuesday morning and immediately went to the 1SG’s office to request sick call. Little did I know that there was a an off-post company PT event scheduled. The CO overheard me and he and the 1SG both made it clear that me skipping PT was not acceptable as a PSG. I needed to set the example by leading from the front. Needless to say, I got on the bus and did the PT event. The calisthenics weren’t too bad. I knocked out pushups, flutter kicks, squats, and so on and actually helped gain a slight lead for my team (four-man teams had to complete something like 300 total of each exercise). The second the trail run started, though, I was done. Couldn’t catch my breath, couldn’t do much more than a very light job, but I completed it somehow. I did finally go to the ER after more pushback, and the cardiologist didn’t see too concerned, but for a few weeks, I got winded even making the short walk to Conmy Hall.
As Tallywhagger stated, anxiety can mess us up. Coming off the Trail, I just wanted to go to a familiar unit somewhat close to home, as what was left of my family was rapidly departing. I hadn’t taken a few things into account: 1 – the first TOG tour was when PTSD symptoms started flaring up, with 25 burials a week during the Surge and the feelings of guilt I carried from being stateside while others were constantly deploying. 2 – some of my buddies from that first tour were “stationed” next to Fort Myer, in Section 60. Alpha Company lost at least six guys I served with between 2004-2008, between combat, illness, and accidents. Then there were the others from the Regiment, and those hundreds my team provided Final Honors for. 3 – I’d beat myself down since I left Fort Campbell in 2004, and especially since leaving Fort McNair in 2008, as I became the tired old SSG-for-Life, resigned to somehow completing 20 years. When I came down on Drill orders, it was as if my career was renewed, but shortly after getting to Sand Hill, the hours started taking their toll. Anxiety and stress (mostly self-imposed as I always felt the need to excel at my job) took their toll, and my family tradition of self-medication didn’t help. After the chest pain scare and the realization that my company leadership didn’t care about me, just about my position as a token figurehead for my platoon, I manned up, took a knee, and failed upwards. I’m sure the 1SG looked down on it, but the Regimental CSM was very understanding, and I think he admired me for doing what I had to do. I spent some time reporting to Belvoir, where we had a SF-qualified 1-Star along with other senior officers and NCOs. I just looked him up and while he ended his career with his self-awareness, he’s now got a senior position with a military college and is both a Harvard and MIT fellow. Goes to show that the Army ain’t everything, and that taking a knee… Read more »
Anxiety can feel like that.
Totalitarianism and Fascism? Meththinks the Democrats doeth project:
Russell Brand gets it:
https://x.com/joma_gc/status/1799094421318742076
102 year old Navy vet passes away during travel to D-Day commemorations.
A 102-Year-Old World War II Veteran Dies En Route to D-Day Commemorations in Europe and Is Mourned | Military.com
Apollo 8 astronaut, Maj Gen William Anders, was killed in a plane crash. He was 90. He took the famous ‘earthrise’ photo on Dec 24 1968.
Apollo 8 astronaut, William Anders, who took famous picture of Earth, killed in small plane crash | Fox News
For our motorcycle riding friends. And a reminder to those that dont.
https://x.com/PicturesFoIder/status/1796903313767546992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1796903313767546992%7Ctwgr%5Eac6036853547363ba060a292abf1934f7c97ecb0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdaleygatordaleybabes.wordpress.com%2F
My Army Nurse wife has cancelled my motorcycle riding after fifty years of two wheeling. She loves to almost daily report some motorcycle rider killed or seriously injured. Since it takes me over a year to fully recover from minor musculoskeletal injuries, I have accepted her ruling of no more two wheeling. I have sold two of my bikes and have only my 2002 Honda ST1100 left to sell.
A friend of mine got a trike when he joined the ranks of the septuagenarians. Would that work?
For me they’re so expensive, I’ll stick with 4 wheels. Of course, its still a couple years as I’m a sexagenarian and loving it.
Naw, we have ridden a Harley trike. They don’t behave like a two wheeler, especially in turns. Plus, if a car turns in front of you, you are still likely to end up in the hospital or the morgue.
Might be time for a convertible.
Got two. A Mazda Miata and a 2016 Corvette with a removable roof panel. They made it easier to part with my Goldwing.
There’s a duality in our media, and in society in general. Most of us here see Trump as being subject to unprecedented persecution by an Administration that’s weaponized the DOJ to pursue its political enemies. Yet, the media, and swaths of our fellow Americans, tout the line that it’s Trump who will undermine our system of government. This a probably traced back to the “Lock her up” Hillary stuff. That lives on in the memories of many a TDS sufferer as evidence that Trump will ensure that all those opposed to his regime will be imprisoned. Never mind that Hillary was never even indicted for anything. As for his regime, if he wins in November, he’ll find a way to stay in office and become a Hitler-esque dictator, or so we’re told. He denied the results of the 2020 election and feels as though he’s still President for Life. Never mind the fact that he peacefully left office and that the aforementioned Clinton denied the results of the 2016 election.
The very people who accuse Trump of being, well, Trump (with everything that name carries with it) look the other way as the Dodderer-in-Chief stumbles and mumbles his way through things, while surrounded by a circle of family and acquaintances that could be equally split by representation as Bond villains or in the pages of Penthouse Letters.
Biden too frail and senile to stand trial, but strong enough to be president. And to prove how capable Joe is, Garland locked up the hurr interview. Sooper dooper top secret. Not for anybodys eyes.
They only want us to see the carefully edited transcript.
Not just Das Hildebeast, remember how Al Gore Junior dragged out the 2020 election count in Florida? D-rats always have a shitty memory when it comes to their side dissenting with election results. AND just how many Conservative types rioted when the sham trial verdict was posted?
That would be the 2000 election of GW, with its litigation of the hanging chads in Florida.
“ Leftist blindness to reality also blinds them to the fact that they are what they accuse the right of being.” EVERY F#*KING TIME!!!!… at least among the “useful” idiots…. those drivingthe agenda know full well that they’re lying..
Leftists IMHO are too SHIT SCARED to dissent with the Kool-Aid they’re fed in fear of being booted from their clique du jour!
Until it’s too late:
Yep, that’s about the size of it.
Is that the commie cuttlefish standing to the left of the purple haired dyke? Asking for a friend.
Or is he the one on her right in red?
Is this a mostly peaceful protest we keep hearing about? Will there be arrests made as some have argued has happened in the past?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13509269/pro-Palestine-protest-White-House-chaos-smoke-bombs-maced.html
Not “insurrection” when left/libtards do it.